


The Mech Code

by MetallicGirl



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Love, Multi, Seekers, Transformers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-25 05:35:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 67,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3798658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetallicGirl/pseuds/MetallicGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Megatron has just rescued Starscream from near death after an unstable energon cube exploded in Starscream's face. But Starscream is still heavily injured, so Skywarp calls his new friend, a Seeker medic named Moonbeam, to fix him up. Moonbeam and Skywarp quickly fall in love, but Skywarp starts to leave Starscream and Thundercracker behind in favor of his new girlfriend. To make things even worse, Thundercracker also has his optics set on Moonbeam, which only puts more stress on the Trine bond. Starscream, suspecting that Moonbeam's just playing Skywarp for a fool, finds himself caught in the middle of all this drama, with a few problems of his own to boot. So who's going to win out? Will Thundercracker let his jealousy get the best of him? Is Moonbeam really as nice as she seems? Will the Mech Code keep everyone together...or will the Trine be destroyed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "The Medic Will See You Now"

"Oh, I ache," said Starscream miserably, lying down again on the repair table and moaning in pain. "When is the medic going to get here?"

"Don't worry," Skywarp replied, tapping his foot. "She'll be here."

"Well, I hope she will be," mumbled Starscream, trying to find a comfortable resting position, but no matter which way he turned, he ended up landing on a part of him that had been injured.

"Slaggit, Starscream, will you knock off all that squirming around business?" Thundercracker snapped. "You're driving me crazy."

"Well, excuse ME," Starscream said angrily, lying flat on his back, and let out another howl of pain as his bandaged helmet and broken wings slammed onto the hard, unforgiving metal bed. "SKYWARP!"

"What?!" said Skywarp.

""WHERE is your little friend?" Starscream demanded. "Come on, I'm dying here!"

"You were dying a few days ago," Megatron reminded him. "Now, you're just recovering."

"Starscream?" they suddenly heard a femme's voice say. "The medic will see you now."

"She's here!" said Skywarp, and disappeared. When he decided to teleport back into the med bay, he was no longer alone.

The medic was a femme Seeker, mostly black, but with bright, golden embellishments. She was rather small, waifish, only up to Skywarp's shoulder, but she was well-put-together and pretty--well, more than pretty, actually. When she entered the room everyone caught their breath. For a moment, nobody could take their eyes off of this wonder that Primus had bestowed upon them. Megatron had to nudge Thundercracker, who was staring intently at her aft.

"Everyone," said Skywarp, putting his arm around her, "meet Moonbeam."

"Nice to meet you all," Moonbeam said in a flirty voice, waving. Thundercracker could've sworn she pushing her chest out on purpose.

"Thank Primus you're here!" Starscream sighed with relief. "As you can see, I'm very injured."

"Well, I just happen to specialize in that, Sir." Moonbeam approached the repair table and set her medical kit on the nearby little table. When she opened it, Starscream looked more than a little nervous.

"What's that? Will it hurt?" he asked, feeling panicked as he watched her pull out a large needle and a little jar of medicine. 

"This is just the anesthetic, silly," laughed Moonbeam, lifting up the needle, as Stascream's facial expression turned to pure terror.

"Do you want to squeeze my hand?" asked Skywarp. Starscream nodded and quickly snatched his brother's hand.

Moonbeam smiled sweetly. "Now, this may pinch a little..."

"OW!" Starscream shrieked as she jabbed the needle into one of his wings. "I thought you told me that stuff was the anesthetic!"

"It is," said Moonbeam. "It just takes a few moments to sink in."

Starscream winced. "It takes a few--ohhh..."

"What happened?" asked Skywarp, letting go of Starscream's hand. 

"Starscream's pain is going away," she replied. "I haven't seen someone this banged up in a long time, so I gave him quite a bit of that stuff. It's meant to temporarily disable his sensor nodes, so his body can't detect any pain. In fact, he might be a bit...loopy for a few hours after this."

"Loopy like how?" asked Megatron, looking at Starscream, who was slowly settling back onto the chair like a tired sparkling at bedtime.

"Well, after it reaches his CPU he might start doing weird things," Moonbeam explained. "And he won't remember the procedure...or who any of you are, necessarily. Oh, and don't let him out to fly for the next twenty-four hours."

"Medic?" called Starscream, waving his hand all around in the air. Now he had a rather relaxed, peaceful smile on his face.

"Oh, yes, of course," said Moonbeam. "Don't worry, this will be over soon."

The medical procedure lasted about an hour, during which Moonbeam patched Starscream up after all the battle wounds he'd received several days ago. Just as she had predicted before, Starscream wasn't really acting like himself; mostly he just lay there in the bed, smiling tranquilly. Whenever anyone tried to talk to him he just mumbled something unintelligible back and laughed woozily.

When Moonbeam was finally finished with her stitches, bandages, and other doctoring in general, she put all her tools away and patted Starscream's helmet.

"Now, just relax and let everything heal," she told him, standing up. "You'll be feeling better before you know it."

"Who are you?" said Starscream, and then blacked out.

ONE HOUR LATER...

Starscream awoke from stasis. Megatron and Thundercracker were still there, but Skywarp and Moonbeam were gone.

"Megatron!" Starscream called drowsily, waving at his boss from across the room. "Hey, what's up, buddy?"

"I see you are awake, Starscream," said Megatron coolly.

"Man, did you see that medic?" Thundercracker blurted out, before he could stop himself. "She was smokin'!"

"Smoke?" said Starscream, looking around confusedly. "Is something burning?"

"Nothing but Moonbeam's aft," said Thundercracker.

"What are you talking about?" said Megatron. "She HAD no aft."

"She had enough that I could put her over my knee and spank her," Thundercracker replied. "Besides...did you see those perky little boobs? Wow."

Megatron shook his head, and Starscream let out a yawn.

"Where...where is everybody?" Starscream asked. "Slaggit...I'm tired..."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Megatron asked, sitting down in the chair next to Starscream. 

"I-I, um, ten," said Starscream confidently.

"I'm only holding up one hand!" yelled Megatron.

"One what?" said Starscream, then lay back again and closed his eyes shut.

"By the way," Megatron asked Thundercracker, leaning back in the chair, "did Skywarp say when he'd be back?" 

"No, of course not." Thundercracker scowled suddenly and turned away. "I suppose they'll be done with their smoothies by three in the morning, probably."

"And then they'll hit the sheets!" Starscream blurted out. Megatron laughed, but Thundercracker didn't look quite as happy.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. This Moment of Love

-Chapter 2-

Moonbeam was laughing. "Skywarp, why are we walking to the energon smoothie shop? I'm thirsty!"

Skywarp wrapped his hand around Moonbeam's and told her, "We don't have to teleport everywhere. What do you suppose I've got legs for?"

What he wanted to do was take a long walk with her and just savor the evening. Soon they would reach the smoothie shop, go on their date, and enjoy each other's company.

When they finally reached the smoothie shop, they stood outside the entrance before going inside. Skywarp held one of Moonbeam's hands and caressed her cheek. She looked up at him, her red eyes shining, and they walked inside.

"You can get whatever you want," said Skywarp. "I'll pay for it."

"Why, thank you," said Moonbeam, grinning. "Not every mech is so polite."

Skywarp ended up buying two of the same smoothies. Secretly, he was a little suspicious of them (according to Thundercracker, the majority of it was synth-en, which was terribly unhealthy) but she was the one who had asked for them, so how could he have said no?

As Moonbeam drank her smoothie, Skywarp couldn't help but stare at her from across the table (with hope, not too conspicuously). Finally he asked, "So...what's it like being a medic, Moonbeam?"

"I like it," Moonbeam replied casually. "It's kind of like...my calling, y'know? I was happy to help your brother back at base."

"So was he," Skywarp told her. "You wouldn't believe what happened to him. From what I was told, Starscream and Megatron went on a mission to find some unstable energon cubes before the Autobots did. They ended up running into the Autobots, and one of them, I think it was Ironhide, shot the energon cube when Starscream was holding it, so it actually blew up in his face."

Moonbeam's eyes were wide. "What happened?"

"Megatron was planning on leaving Starscream there, but he decided to save him," said Skywarp. "In fact, since Starscream lost all of his energon, Megatron did a transfusion with some of his own. They were supposed to return by nightfall, but they didn't, so the next morning we went searching for them. When we got them home, Megatron told us that he shouldn't have saved Starscream, but he did...and he doesn't know why."

"Starscream was at Megatron's complete mercy," Moonbeam whispered. "And he saved him?"

Skywarp shrugged. "I guess so."

"Strange," said Moonbeam, stirring her drink with her straw. "But anyway, it is interesting to meet you all. I just came to Earth a few months ago, and who would think that I'd run into you at a smoothie shop?"

"Maybe it was meant to be," said Skywarp.

Moonbeam smiled flirtatiously, then slurped up the last of her smoothie. "Delicious!"

"Really?" asked Skywarp.

"Yes," Moonbeam told him. "In fact, if you buy another, we can use two straws and drink from the same one."

"Sounds romantic," said Skywarp. "Just wait here and I'll take care of everything."

Skywarp and Moonbeam finished their drink. Skywarp dumped the empty container in the trash can and the two of them walked outside. The night was completely dark now, and it had started to rain. 

"I don't quite understand this Earth weather," Moonbeam giggled, and clasped her hands in Skywarp's.

"I'll keep you warm," Skywarp whispered, taking her into his arms. She felt so small, so delicate; he could hardly feel the raindrops pelting onto his helmet as he slowly slid both hands down to her hips. Moonbeam didn't have much of a figure, but Skywarp still found his hands seeking her natural hills and valleys. She snuggled closer and placed both hands on his chestplate, eyes closed.

Skywarp looked down and placed one hand beneath her chin. She looked up at him sweetly as her lips formed a smile. She traced one finger from the tip of his wing all the way down to his shoulder; he felt himself shiver with pleasure as he closed his own eyes and drew her in for a kiss. It was nothing short of magical for Skywarp and he hoped it was that way for Moonbeam, too. She stood up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and they melted into the kiss, just the two of them, kissing in front of the energon smoothie shop as the rain poured down.

Finally their lips separated, but they clung to each other still, his arms wrapped around her tight, her head resting on his chestplate.

"Hey!" they heard a passerby yell. "Get a room, will ya?"

"I can teleport us back to base in two astroseconds," said Skywarp. Moonbeam nodded, grabbed his hand, and they disappeared into the night.

BACK AT DECEPTICON HQ...

"Where are we going to stay, Skywarp?" asked Moonbeam.

"Well, since Starscream doesn't have to stay in the med bay anymore, we can go in there," Skywarp suggested, leading her down the hallway towards the med bay.

"I think we might get caught," said Moonbeam.

"You don't have to worry," Skywarp told her. "Megatron is the only one who can override the locks, and he doesn't give a slag what we do."

"But what if somebody gets hurt, or sick?" Moonbeam insisted. "Won't they need the med bay?"

"You're the medic, Moonbeam," said Skywarp, slamming the door to the med bay behind him, locking it, and scooping Moonbeam up into his arms, bridal-style. "You tell me."

"Well, okay," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her to the repair table. "Maybe we need this place more than anybody else right now."

Skywarp sat down on the repair table and pulled Moonbeam up so that she was lying on her front, in between his legs, with his hands on her cheeks, gently turning her head up to look at him. Skywarp had never before encountered such a romantic feeling, and he was very well aware that he'd been becoming increasingly erect ever since that kiss outside the smoothie shop. Now here she was, in between his legs, her beautiful face staring up at him.

Moonbeam smiled, looking flirty again. Skywarp pulled her up a little further and they started making out furiously. Skywarp let his fingers roam; they started out caressing her black-and-gold wings, to which she mewled with pleasure and collapsed against his chestplate helplessly.

"Your body is like a temple," Skywarp whispered as they separated for a split second.

"Lucky for you, the services are open tonight," she whispered back, and that was enough. Skywarp felt his interface panel click open by itself as their lips met again. They let their fingers wander as they pleased, accompanied by unbridled shivers, moans, and squeals.

"Oh, baby, you've caught me in heat," Skywarp moaned.

"We Seekers are always in heat," she giggled, then reached her hands down to his southern regions, wrapping her fingers around his rock-hard spike. "Do you want me to take care of this for you?"

"Please." Skywarp nodded and bit his lip, hoping he wouldn't have his overload right into her mouth.

Moonbeam gently spread Skywarp's thighs apart and started giving him his blow job, which seemed to send static electricity all over his body, feeling amazingly good but a little painful at the same time as he tried to hold it in. One small hand reached up and started stroking his wing repeatedly. Skywarp thought Moonbeam might be teasing him now, and he liked it, but the stimulation of her handling his wings and sucking his spike at the same time was too much and Moonbeam found her face covered in transfluid.

"Oh, um...sorry," said Skywarp, sitting up, his face feeling a little warm.

"Don't worry, it's okay." Moonbeam wiped off her face and crawled right back into Skywarp's arms, stroking his cockpit as they began to make out again.

Skywarp kissed the top of Moonbeam's helmet as she ran her fingers up and down his inner thighs, this time teasingly avoiding the most sensitive areas. While driving him insane in this matter, she let him explore a bit more, his hands wandering down from her wings to her chest and then her hips, and then eventually between her thighs. With a kind of whimper, she spread her legs a little wider, letting him insert his fingers one by one. Hmm...she was pretty wet too. Skywarp could only hope that she was enjoying this as much as he was (a lot).

Because his race tended to be the most fertile (and horny), Skywarp was capable of overloading up to four times in one session. Before he knew it, he found himself ready for the main event, so to speak.

"Are you ready?" he whispered into her ear. She nodded excitedly.

So he picked her up again and swung her around, then pushed himself in. She squealed and placed her ankles on his shoulders as he kept going, his lips kissing hers, his hands flat on the cold metal surface of the repair table.

"I-I'm not even close," Skywarp moaned. Moonbeam only answered with happy-screams; by now the rest of the world was blacked out, and all they knew was their 'facing and their love. Skywarp felt his systems overheating, too fast for his cooling fans to kick in yet, stroking Moonbeam's wings and helmet and kissing her lips and then...With a feeling he couldn't describe as anything but euphoria, Skywarp finally felt the rush of overload inside of Moonbeam, letting his warm transfluid release itself for several long seconds, until finally he pulled himself out and collapsed next to her, panting, eyes shut.

Skywarp's cooling fans eluded him for a few seconds, but he soon felt himself starting to reboot. Weakly, he turned his head to look at Moonbeam, who was leaning up on her elbow, a little smirk on her face.

"So, how was that?" she asked cheekily.

"Perfect, baby," he whispered, turning over and drawing her into his arms. "Just perfect."


	3. Green-Eyed Monster

"I can't wait to FINALLY stretch my wings and fly tomorrow." Starscream flexed his wings a little and lay back in his bed. "After all that time being grounded..."

"You weren't even grounded for a month," Thundercracker grouched, turning towards the wall. "You act like a sparkling sometimes."

"Well, that's a fine way to talk to your brother," said Starscream. "What's your malfunction?"

"NOTHING," Thundercracker grunted. "Shut up."

"I mean, I don't remember anything that happened earlier today after that Moonbeam was fixing me up, but..." Starscream paused; his eyes lit up as a grin crossed his face. "Oh, I get it. You're jealous, aren't you, TC?"

"Shut up, slagtard!" Thundercracker shouted, lobbing his pillow at Starscream. "I'm not jealous in the slightest. I just think Skywarp is being really stupid, as usual."

"What are you talking about?" said Starscream, feeling curious as he attempted to throw the pillow back to Thundercracker. Unfortunately, he didn't have his contacts in, and it ended up landing on Skywarp's empty bed.

"Great aim," said Thundercracker sarcastically. "But to answer your question, Skywarp's now only got one port and valve for the rest of his life cycle. It's STUPID."

"You know he's had plenty of 'facing," Starscream reminded him, then shrugged. "Maybe he's just found the femme he likes to 'face with the most."

"Moonbeam is...she's just..." Thundercracker looked helpless. "I don't know."

::Skywarp is my brother.:: Thundercracker thought to himself. ::I could never spike his girlfriend...but if I had only seen her first...::

Just the thought of him and Moonbeam all alone in bed, her beautiful thighs spread for him only, that delicious wet valve waiting for him (it was probably real tight)...oh, Primus was that hot! Thundercracker's conscience was telling him that he ought to be ashamed of himself, and he was, but his horniness was equally hard to ignore.

"Thundercracker?" Starscream whispered. "Why are you being all...twitchy like that?"

"For the last time, shut UP!" Thundercracker hollered. "I don't need you quizzing me about my life!"

"You're being crazy, Thundercracker!" Starscream insisted.

"I'm not crazy!" Thundercracker shot back. "If anybody's crazy, you are!"

The two quarreling Seekers were interrupted by Skywarp stumbling into the room, his wings wet with suspicious substances, a dazed smile on his face. 

"Looks like somebody got hammered tonight." Starscream grabbed his glasses off the nightstand and smirked at Skywarp.

"Double overload, tonight." Skywarp moaned happily and fell back onto his bed. That was all he could say.

"WHAT?" Thundercracker couldn't stop himself from shouting as he felt a surge of envy shoot through his tubes. For a moment he imagined a green monster springing out of his mouth and chomping Skywarp's head off; then he took a deep breath and tried to turn himself back to normal again.

"We 'faced and I overloaded twice," Skywarp repeated, lifting his head up a little. "You thought I wasn't capable?"

"No, Skywarp, I just think you're being..." Thundercracker stopped speaking for a minute as he watched Skywarp's red eyes glowing innocently in the darkness. Starscream was watching them closely, his mouth involuntarily open.

"I'm being what?" asked Skywarp.

"You're being really romantic," Thundercracker mumbled, sinking down under the covers and closing his eyes. "I-I'm happy for you."

...

Thundercracker ran his tongue around the inside of Moonbeam's thrusters as her hands stroked his wings. As he heard her moan in pleasure, he stood up and shoved her backwards onto the floor, to which she let out a loud squeal.

"I love you, hon," he whispered in his husky voice, covering her wings with kisses and running his fingers up and down her body shamelessly.

"I love you too, Thundercracker, much more than Skywarp," she told him sweetly, rubbing one black hand along the side of his face. "In fact, I think I would die if you didn't spike me RIGHT NOW!"

Without another word, Thundercracker shoved her legs apart and shoved himself inside of her, grabbing her hands, licking her fingers. It was getting climactic now, when he suddenly felt her fingers sink into the back of his wings, as sharp as claws.

"Not so rough, my love!" he cried, trying to pull himself out but only managing to collapse onto her. Instead of her usual flirty voice, he heard her hissing and felt her scratching him again, this time all the way down his back.

"Ravage: return." That mechanical voice...it sounded awfully familiar...

Before he knew it, Thundercracker was right back in his own bed, gripping his pillow tight, soaked with transfluid. Starscream, Skywarp and Soundwave were all standing above him, gawking.

It had all been a dream.

"Are you okay?" Skywarp asked him. "You were, like, making these weird moaning noises. Really loud."

"Of course I'm okay," Thundercracker snapped, bolting upright. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"Well, it looks like you need to hit the towel rack," said Starscream, pointing to Thundercracker's messy sheets.

"Operation: release," said Soundwave.

"Yeah, what were you dreaming about, friend?" Starscream laughed.

"Laughter: illogical," said Soundwave. "Release: necessary."

"Thundercracker: horny," said Skywarp, imitating Soundwave's way of talking, and that sent him and Starscream into hysterics.

"Oh, like you're one to talk, Skywarp." Thundercracker crossed his arms. "And look! Ravage scratched my wings and made them bleed!"

"So, go and take your shower then." Starscream shrugged as he left the room with Skywarp and Soundwave. "Your self-repair will take care of the scratches soon enough."

...

Moonbeam was spread out on the couch luxuriously. Skywarp teleported back out of the kitchen and into the main monitor room, holding a cube of fresh energon.

"Thank you, baby," she said, taking it from him.

"No problem, sweetheart," he said back, gently hoisting her up and giving her a little kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," she purred.

"Whatever you need, I shall get it for you," he assured her, and cuddled her closer. "I just want you to be safe and happy."

"Well, I did see the most beautiful diamond necklace in town, today," she said, running one finger down his wing.

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her soothingly. "Oh, sugarplum, how my spark aches for you."

"You romantic little sweetie-pie," she cooed, pinching his cheeks.

"You delectable little cupcake!" he said back, kissing her forehead. "You are so cute!"

"You're even cuter!" she giggled.

"No, you're cuter!"

"No, YOU'RE cuter!"

"You're the cutest one of all!" Skywarp lovingly kissed Moonbeam's head. "And I won't hear otherwise."

"Throw me over your shoulder and take me to the bedroom, baby!" she squealed.

"Yes indeed-y, my snuggly little angel!" Skywarp cried.

"SHUT UP!" Thundercracker yelled at them. "Can you PLEASE try to speak in words that DON'T make me want to throw up in my own mouth?!"

"Let's go, babycakes," whispered Skywarp, and they headed for the bedroom.


	4. Mechs' Night Out

Starscream had never seen Skywarp so happy. As the days passed, he and his lover became even more inseparable, holding hands like they would never let go, kissing each other, calling each other silly pet names, talking in baby voices...Skywarp always acted like a perfect gentle-bot, carrying Moonbeam around, buying her flowers, jewelry, basically anything she asked for.

If any mech dared to look at Moonbeam, Skywarp would take out his weapons and prepare to fight. As far as Starscream could tell, the two "lovebirds" were facing at least once every day. On the few nights when Skywarp actually joined his brothers in the bedroom all three of them used to share (usually he stayed with Moonbeam in the guest room), all they would hear was his dreamy voice telling them "romantic" anecdotes, most of which they had heard before.

On the other hand, Starscream had never seen Thundercracker so unhappy. Thundercracker insisted he had no feelings for Moonbeam; she was Skywarp's femme exclusively. His only defense for his scornful attitude was that Skywarp was just "being stupid".

"Do you want to come flying with me, Thundercracker?" Starscream asked, approaching his brother one afternoon. Thundercracker was sitting on the couch with a scowl on his face, right next to Skywarp and Moonbeam. They were, yet again, furiously making out, this time with tongue. 

"Anything to get away from these fools," he mumbled, pulling himself up. Moonbeam knocked Skywarp backwards onto the couch and wrapped herself around him, screaming out his name.

"Seriously, TC, what's bothering you?" Starcream whispered.

"They're being disgusting!" Thundercracker hissed.

"Skywarp and Moonbeam are HAPPY," Starscream said. "Leave them ALONE, will you?"

"I thought you invited me to go flying," Thundercracker grouched. "I didn't ask for a lecture."

"Sorry," Starscream mumbled.

Part of the reason why Starscream was inviting Thundercracker to practice flying was because he was sure it would improve Thundercracker's mood. After all, flying had ALWAYS cheered him up when he was upset over something. Starscream still suspected that Thundercracker had a thing for Moonbeam, but he couldn't get him to admit it.

Once they were both in jet mode, up in the sky, Starscream turned his thrusters on full blast and soared past Thundercracker, who barrel-rolled in the sky and jokingly bumped into Starscream's wing. Starscream bumped him back and then turned around the other way, inviting Thundercracker to chase after him.

It reminded him of when they were younglings; playing in the sky all day had always been their favorite game. Thundercracker must have been thinking the same thing, because his mood seemed to lift as he dove under Starscream, then shot ahead. They kept this up for hours, until finally Starscream got a call on his com. link. As he changed himself back to robot mode and slowly lowered himself onto the ground, he saw that it was Skywarp.

"Thundercracker!" Starscream shouted, gesturing to the blue jet, who was looking curious as to why Starscream had suddenly landed.

"What?" Thundercracker asked, quickly transforming and touching down.

"Skywarp called me." Starscream was sure Thundercracker would be happy that Skywarp was finally choosing to talk to his Trine, rather than virtually ignore them, as he had been doing for about the past week. (Most likely, it was unintentional, but he and Moonbeam were in the "honeymoon stage".

"Let me guess, more babbling about the lovely Moonbeam?" said Thundercracker, very sarcastically.

Ignoring this, Starscream answered the call. "What's up, 'Warp?"

"Well, I know we haven't been spending much time together, lately," Skywarp said apologetically. "I wanted to make it up to you guys. How about we three go out tonight and have ourselves a mechs' night out? Energon's on me."

"Sounds great!" said Thundercracker. "Why don't you come out here and talk to us?"

Skywarp nodded, and the next thing they knew he was out there with them. "The only problem is, do you think Moonbeam will be okay with this?"

"Did you have anything special planned?" Starscream asked. "Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Well, no," said Skywarp, "but..."

"You don't need her approval for everything, y'know," Thundercracker reminded him matter-of-factly. "You'll never be a mech if you let a femme tell you what to do."

"Moonbeam makes me feel all...fluttery," Skywarp whispered, gazing up at the sky. "I love her."

Skywarp looked about to melt into the ground, a puddle of love, but Thundercracker's eyes flashed red with anger.

"Don't speak too soon, 'Warp," he said firmly. "Let's just go out tonight, and you can forget about her for a bit."

"So, where exactly are we going, then?" Starscream asked.

"Wherever." Skywarp put his arms behind his back and swayed from side to side, looking lost in another world. Skywarp wasn't exactly bright, but he was harmless.

"I know somewhere we can go," Thundercracker told the other jets confidently, his arms folded across his chestplate, a grin on his face.

...

It was a place 'Cons went to for extra money, to perform, the femmes that is. The mechs were the ones who paid for the entertainment. Most likely, not even one of the Autobots knew it existed. It was located out in the wilderness, with a hologram making it look like nothing was there.

On the inside, though, past the hologram, it was anything but. It was a sort of replica of the Decepticlubs back on Cybertron, because (as some put it) mechs on Earth had their needs too. Drinks were available, of course, and weapons were encouraged, but it was mainly a smoky little place where mechs paid high prices for high entertainment. It was known as the Cybertronian Gentlebots' Club.

"Hey everyone!" said Starscream, bursting through the doors. "The Elite Trine is back!"

Of course, Starscream and his Trine members had been there before, because most 'Cons thought it was the best place to party, especially on Earth, where entertainment was hard to find. Skywarp, as promised, paid for their drinks and all three of them began to drink themselves into a stupor. Most of the energon was pretty strong, so that basically took care of itself.

For some reason, although Starscream and Thundercracker were ready to party, Skywarp was just sipping some high-grade with a straw, watching the dancers with what could only be described as disinterest.

"How much for extra services?" Thundercracker slurred, leaning across the table and waving his arm at one of the dancers.

"Don't be silly, cutie," she said, parking herself into his lap. "I don't charge Seekers."

Thundercracker and the femme started to make out, while Starscream (also drunk) was cheering and throwing money onto the stage. Skywarp, quickly finishing the rest of his energon, went over to the bar for another shot, but was soon confronted by a prostitute.

"For someone as cute as you are, I could fetch you quite a deal," she purred, stroking his wings.

"Um, n-no thank you," Skywarp stammered, looking a little startled. "I mean, I-I have a girlfriend, and I don't think she'd really..."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," the prostitute cooed. "C'mon, baby, you know you want to..."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I really DON'T need your services," Skywarp insisted. "How about I just buy you a drink instead?"

"Trying to get me drunk, huh?" she giggled. "Well, have it your way."

"I wasn't trying to get you drunk," Skywarp said. "I was just trying to be polite."

"Look, hon, I can find another mech to bang in nothing flat," she said, crossing her arms, her pink-and-black paint job shining under the Decepticlub's bright lights. "So do you want this or what?"

"No, I don't. I couldn't." Skywarp patted her shoulder, then left.

"Did you see what you just turned down, you moron?" Thundercracker asked incredulously, his hands still on the dancer sitting in his lap.

"Thundercracker, it's called being faithful to your girlfriend," Skywarp said sharply.

"All right, all right," Thundercracker mumbled, and resumed making out.

...

Of course, the Decepticlub was open 24/7, but eventually the Command Trine (all three of them drunk) got very tired and they had to get their drunk afts home. Unfortunately, when they reached base the next morning, Moonbeam was standing, waiting for them at the door.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"At the Cybertronian Gentlebots' Club, hon." Thundercracker grabbed Starscream's arm to keep himself from collapsing onto the floor. "We had a mighty fine time, too."

With that, he slapped her on the aft, mumbled something about how she should join them next time, and stumbled off to bed...assuming he could make it there without passing out, of course. Skywarp and Starscream stayed put.

"You went to a STRIP CLUB?!" Moonbeam screeched, eyes shut, hands clenched into fists.

"Please, baby, it's not what you think," Skywarp was trying to tell her, although he was having a bit of trouble talking.

"I can't believe this!" she screamed. "You and your idiot Trine disappear without telling me, go to a strip club, and come home high on who KNOWS what! What do you have to say for yourself, Skywarp? Did you have fun with all the whores there?"

"Moonbeam, it meant nothing!" Skywarp reached out for her, but she dodged.

"Don't touch me, you worthless piece of scrap metal!" Moonbeam slapped Skywarp and shoved him aside. For a second the purple jet froze--then he teleported away.

"What was that for?" Starscream demanded, by now the only one left.

"You hush up!" she told him, and gave him a slap of his own. "You're a total wuss, the blue one is an obnoxious aft, and Skywarp acts like a moron whenever he's anywhere near you two! Don't you even TALK to me!"

With that she stalked away, leaving Starscream standing there, mouth agape, shocked beyond belief.


	5. Not So Happy Together

Thundercracker had gotten so drunk last night, he had been in a deep stasis all morning. Skywarp was a different story. All that morning, he couldn't stop crying openly. 

"Please, 'Warp, please don't cry," Starscream insisted, rubbing Skywarp's back.

"It's...it's all MY fault!" Skywarp sobbed. "Why did I agree to go to a strip club? I must have been out of my mind! I'm a TERRIBLE boyfriend!"

"Couples argue," Starscream reminded him.

"But not us!" Skywarp wailed. "I thought we were THAT couple, the one that never fights! And she...she slapped me! I AM a worthless piece of scrap metal!"

"Personally, I think she overreacted," said Starscream.

"What should I do now?" Skywarp sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"You could do something nice for her, I guess." Starscream shrugged. "Give her flowers or a necklace or something."

"Well, she does love presents," said Skywarp reluctantly. "She told me there was a diamond necklace she wanted but I didn't get it for her yet...even though I promised I would!"

At this revelation, Skywarp started crying all over again. Starscream sighed and put his arm around his brother.

"Moonbeam will forgive you, Skywarp," he whispered. "I promise."

...

Trying to sum up all the courage he could, a very hurt Skywarp waited in the guest room where Moonbeam slept, flowers in one hand, the diamond necklace in the other. Now, he was still trying not to cry, but he wanted Moonbeam to forgive him.

When she entered the room, her neutral expression turned to shock and then anger.

"What are you doing in my room?!" she yelled. "Get out!"

"I just wanted to apologize, Moonbeam," Skywarp insisted. "I got you some flowers, and that diamond necklace you wanted."

Moonbeam looked shocked again; suddenly her eyes filled with tears. When Skywarp noticed this, he gently took her into his arms.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered. "You...you really didn't do anything, did you?"

"No, of course I didn't, kissy-wissy," he told her. "In fact, some femme was trying to offer her services, and I turned her down. I have eyes only for you."

"I know." Moonbeam pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Now, don't forget what I bought for you." With that, Skywarp draped the beautiful diamond necklace around Moonbeam's neck. She glanced up at him, red eyes shining, and they kissed again.

...

"I've got a bad feeling about this relationship," Starscream was saying, more to himself than to Thundercracker as he sat on Thundercracker's bed. Thundercracker was still a little hung-over, so Starscream looked down to see if he was conscious.

"I'm listening," said Thundercracker weakly.

"Last night, when I saw how badly she hurt him..." Starscream shook his head. "Before that, I always thought she was nice enough. But calling him a worthless piece of scrap metal...? I just don't know."

"Well, don't ask me," Thundercracker mumbled.

"And then there's what he said about the diamond necklace," Starscream continued. "What if...what if she's taking advantage of him? I mean, when he's around her he's like a whipped dog. Hardly the Skywarp we know. And as his brother, I find that a little hard to take."

"Maybe it's just a femme thing."

"You love her anyway, though, don't you?" Starscream was smirking again.

"I told you, I do NOT love her!" Thundercracker shouted. "Will you please just let me rest?"

"Whatever," said Starscream, heading back to his own bed. "I'm just not too sure Skywarp's new girlfriend is good for him."

"What are you gonna do about it, huh?" Thundercracker asked flatly. "After all, you're the one who said they were all 'happy' together."

"I'm not going to do anything about it, at least not yet," Starscream said shortly. "I'm just going to go and get something to drink. You can stay here for as long as you like."

After Starscream left, Thundercracker was alone in the Seekers' room again, thinking. What he would give to have a femme like that on his arm! Truthfully, he didn't know what had happened last night; he'd gone off to bed before the fireworks started. Apparently Moonbeam had done something to hurt Skywarp's feelings. But what? It didn't add up, in his opinion. She was so beautiful, so small and delicate, so graceful, so perfect...Thundercracker couldn't imagine Moonbeam doing anything mean. All he could imagine her doing (well, all that he really liked to imagine her doing, anyway) were things that were normally confined to the bedroom.


	6. Battlefield

"Good afternoon, Thundercracker," said Skywarp, walking into the Seekers' room. Thundercracker had been drifting off into stasis again, but he jerked up when he saw his brother enter the room.

"So, how did things go with Moonbeam?" Thundercracker asked, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his deep voice. Needless to say, Skywarp didn't notice.

"It was all just a misunderstanding," Skywarp explained. "I guess she was mad that we left for the Decepticlub without letting her know first. I got her that diamond necklace, though, and some flowers, so now we're all better."

"Well, lucky you," Thundercracker grunted.

"Are you okay?" Skywarp asked innocently, sitting down on Thundercracker's bed. "You just haven't been acting the same lately."

"What are you talking about, you idiot?" Thundercracker demanded. "Are you saying I've changed? I haven't changed!"

"You're...you're meaner," said Skywarp. 

"Meaner!" Thundercracker bolted out of bed and looked down at Skywarp, who was staring at the floor; he didn't look angry, just confused. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Well you are!" Skywarp stood up too. "I just want to know why! You're so distant!"

"I'm distant?!" yelled Thundercracker. "You're the distant one! We hardly even see you anymore!"

"If that's what you're worried about, there's plenty of me to go around," said Skywarp calmly.

"No, Skywarp, you don't..." Thundercracker watched Skywarp, who was still refusing to look anywhere but the floor, his hands behind his back. Skywarp didn't usually do a whole lot of thinking, but he had a pensive expression on his face anyway, like he was wondering what was going on.

:Why does Skywarp get to have Moonbeam all to himself?: Thundercracker thought to himself furiously. :Look at this fool! It's not fair!:

"I...I don't what?" Skywarp asked.

Thundercracker's cover burst.

"You don't DESERVE her!" he yelled in Skywarp's face, pulling him by the wing. "How can you just SIT there, being the stupid little excuse for a jet that you are, while a beautiful femme like Moonbeam stumbles into your insignificant life and fawns all over you? Why YOU? You didn't do anything! What's so special about you?"

Skywarp was just sitting there, looking gobsmacked, but Thundercracker wasn't finished.

"Do you think relationships are EASY, Skywarp?" he hollered. "Do you think love comes no matter what you do? Well, it doesn't! It DOESN'T! SO JUST GIVE UP!"

Thundercracker leaned over, out-of-breath, one hand resting on the bedpost, while Skywarp just stood there, his mouth wide open. The blue jet didn't notice it, but Skywarp's eyes were filling with tears as he ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

...

Starscream was sitting at the table, casually drinking some medium-grade energon with a straw, when he saw Skywarp run past, hands over his face, eyes streaming with tears.

"Skywarp?" Starscream called. "What the slag happened? Did she dump you?"

"No, we're all made up." Skywarp sunk down onto the couch and tried to wipe his tears away, but they kept coming; he just couldn't understand why Thundercracker was being so mean to him all of a sudden. Sure, there were a lot of things he didn't understand, but this was different. Why was his own Seeker-kin treating him so horribly?

"So why are you upset, then?" Starscream asked, getting up from the table and sitting next to Skywarp.

"It was Thundercracker," Skywarp said quietly. "I only asked him why he was being so mean to me and Moonbeam...and then he just got even meaner."

"Meaner like how?"

"Well, he told me that I don't deserve Moonbeam because I'm stupid," Skywarp said sadly. "I think he hates me now."

"Oh, no," Starscream whispered.

Thundercracker had finally let his jealousy get the best of him.

...

Skywarp was still hurt by Thundercracker, and Thundercracker was still jealous of Skywarp. Starscream was sure that Thundercracker was lusting after Moonbeam, and he also knew that Skywarp was clueless to this fact; he probably thought Thundercracker was being cruel for no reason. (Skywarp never could put two and two together.) To be honest, though, Starscream had no idea what to do.

It was getting hard to handle. Starscream already had underlying suspicions about Moonbeam's true motives, and now Thundercracker, who had been trying to hide his jealousy for so long, had let it all erupt like a volcano, the lava falling onto poor Skywarp and burning him to a crisp. The only thing that kept him happy was Moonbeam.

"I love you, sugar daddy," Moonbeam was whispering to Skywarp as she ran her hands up and down his wings. "Are you ready for our big night out tonight?"

"Of course!" said Skywarp. "I loce you, kissy-wissy."

"I'm glad you bought me those new earrings and bracelet to wear with my diamond necklace," Moonbeam told him. "I can wear them tonight!"

"You're beautiful with or without them," Skywarp replied, and kissed her.

Moonbeam giggled. "Who's my sugar daddy?"

"I am!" said Skywarp, initiating yet another sloppy kiss.

Thundercracker, at that time, was sitting in front of the TV, pretending to watch it but really watching Skywarp and Moonbeam, deeply in love, making out on the couch.

Skywarp looked at Thundercracker and cried out, "Make sweet love to me, Moonbeam!"

"SHUT UP!" hollered Thundercracker. "Do you have no respect for your fellow Decepticons?"

"Look who's talking!" Skywarp shouted. "I don't know ANYONE meaner than you!"

"Oh, what a fabulous retort," said Thundercracker, rolling his eyes. "That's me outsmarted, isn't it?"

"At least I HAVE a girlfriend!" Skywarp pointed out. "But you're still single and lonely, and you will be forever and ever!"

"For your information, I prefer NOT to have a girlfriend," Thundercracker lied.

"Oh, that's rich!" said Skywarp.

Thundercracker shouted an obscenity at Skywarp and they both started yelling simultaneously, with petty insults, profanity, and a whole lot of drama. Starscream was just hoping that it wouldn't become physical. But what of Moonbeam? Many people would've hated to be in her situation...but when Starscream looked at her, she was sitting there, safe on her boyfriend's lap, grinning smugly. She was enjoying every minute of this, and nobody noticed. Not Skywarp, not Thundercracker.

Nobody but Starscream.

...

Starscream was lying down on his bed, watching Skywarp get ready for his date. Of course, Thundercracker was still hogging the TV back in the main monitor room, and Starscream assumed Moonbeam was in the guestroom where she (and usually Skywarp) slept, getting ready for the date too.

When Skywarp was finally ready, he had some time to kill, so he sat down on the bed across from Starscream and asked, "How do I look?"

"Fine," said Starscream. "Want an energon cube?"

"Sounds great." Skywarp reached out for the energon and started drinking it. Starscream had several cubes with him. Ever since the fight between Skywarp and Thundercracker earlier that day, Starscream had felt sick to his stomach, fearing that he was right about what kind of femme Moonbeam truly was. At first he thought he could just drink the bad feelings away, but that didn't seem to be working.

"So...how are things going?" Starscream asked nervously. Deep down, he knew that he had to do something, but he didn't know what. Besides, even if he did know what to do, he'd probably be too terrified to do it.

"Moonbeam and I are in love again," Skywarp said dreamily. "I guess she was mad at me, but I got her the necklace and flowers, and now look-our relationship's better."

Starscream winced. "I'm not sure that's such a good thing, 'Warp."

"What do you mean?" Skywarp looked a little confused.

:Where is your courage?: Starscream thought to himself. Probably, he didn't have that much courage in him, and he didn't know if this would make things better or worse, but he had to say it.

"Moonbeam isn't the type of femme you think she is!" Starscream choked out.

"I think she's wonderful," Skywarp said.

"Listen, I KNOW what kind of femme she is," Starscream insisted. "Haven't you noticed that she calls you 'sugar daddy'? Do you know what that means?"

Skywarp just shrugged. "I thought it just meant I was sweet."

"You ARE sweet, Skywarp," said Starscream. "TOO sweet. The term 'sugar daddy' means that she's not in love with you; she's only in love with the things you buy her-and not to mention I think she's taking advantage of the fact that you would do anything for her."

"That is NOT true!" Skywarp sputtered, pointing one finger at Starscream. "You're just jealous!"

"I'm not jealous!" Starscream told him. "I wanted you to be happy in this relationship. But can't you see what she's trying to do?"

"No, I can't!" Skywarp cried. "I know my own girlfriend, and she would never to anything to hurt anyone!"

"What about that time when she slapped you?"

"I deserved that."

"You did not deserve it!" Starscream walked up to Skywarp and shook him by the shoulders. "Who's letting a femme boss him around like a helpless sparkling? Who's putting up with her nonsense every time he doesn't do just what he says? Who's dating a femme who only sleeps with him for his money? Open your EYES, Skywarp!"

"Oh, so this is how it's going to be, huh?" Skywarp pushed Starscream away. "Thundercracker is being a big jerk, and now you're going to be one too?"

"I'm trying to HELP you!" 

"I don't need your kind of help!" Skywarp shouted, picking up an energon cube and throwing its contents at Starscream. "And if you can't accept my relationship and be happy for me, then that's your problem, NOT mine!"

"Well, if you're going to be that way, then GET used by her! GET your spark broken!" Starscream looked down at the energon that was staining his paint job and stormed out of the room. "See if I care!"

"FINE!" yelled Skywarp, slamming the door behind him.

"FINE!" Starscream yelled back.


	7. Just Let Go

The anger burning in Starscream's spark slowly turned to sadness, great sadness, as he left his room, looking for somewhere to go. The only place he could think of was the med bay, which had been deserted ever since he'd recovered enough to leave it. As soon as he'd hopped up onto the repair table, Starscream miserably covered his face with his hands and tried to slow down his breathing, slow down his thoughts, but he could think only of Skywarp and Thundercracker, his brothers, his friends.

When they were younger they used to do everything together. They were in a school play once in Seeker School; in fact, they might still have the tape somewhere. Starscream remembered how, when they were younger and he’d just learned to teleport, Skywarp would sneak up behind them at the top of the stairs and push them down. At home, they played in the sky for hours on end; at night they went downtown and hit the clubs; they’d even won the “Best Friends” award in the school yearbook one time. Was all that worth nothing? Was a crafty, scheming femme really all it took to break apart the loyalty of the Command Trine?

Apparently so.

Feeling lost, with nobody to love him, Starscream lay down on the repair table, letting tears stream down his face and onto the table's hard metal surface. Then he heard someone clear his throat.

"Typical...hiding from your fears again, aren't you, Starscream?"

"Megatron?" Starscream sat up. "Why are you here?"

"From what I have observed, your Trine has separated," Megatron said shortly, ignoring the question.

"Don't remind me," Starscream mumbled, closing his eyes, turning away.

“You know,” said Megatron, “there’s really only one way to cope with loss.”

"What's that?" Starscream was interested now.

"Let go," Megatron told him. "If you don’t get close to anyone, you’ll never mourn his demise.”

"But...but they are my brothers," Starscream whispered.

“You must let go,” Megatron repeated. “And to be honest with you—not that I’m too big on honesty—it’s not that difficult.”

Starscream pondered it for a moment. As much as he hated to admit it, Megatron might be on to something. After all, if Starscream hadn't cared about his Trine in the first place, there would be no place for them in his spark...and thus, no empty space when they were gone.

"It's too late," said Starscream. "Nothing can mend this sorrow."

"Just let go..." Megatron whispered, pulling Starscream into his lap. "That's all you need to do."

"Really, Megatron, I'm not in the mood for this right now," Starscream told him, squirming.

"Well, I am," said Megatron.

Losing the Command Trine's friendship had basically put a dent in Starscream's libido, but when he saw his boss hold up the handcuffs, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement down there all of a sudden.

Starscream felt the handcuffs snap onto his wrists as Megatron slid one hand in between his thighs, working its way up to his interface panel, trailing his fingers down Starscream’s wings with the other. By the time Megatron’s hand got there, Starscream had pressurized enough that, when he felt Megatron handling his “equipment”, he sighed and leaned back contentedly, not feeling the need or even the desire to struggle any longer.

No one else knew they did this, at least they couldn’t prove it; Starscream had interfaced with both femmes and mechs in his lifetime but the pain and humiliation he felt every time he did the deed with Megatron gave him an exhilaration that he just couldn’t find anywhere else. Most of the time, he protested at first, but when the goodness kicked in, he just sat back and basically let Megatron do whatever he wanted with his body. This was the only time he enjoyed being submissive to Megatron, and as far as he could tell, that was the way Megatron liked it too.

Megatron let out a quiet laugh as he opened Starscream’s interface hatch and teased, “Looks like I didn’t need to turn my little pleasure drone on after all—you come built to run, don’t you?”

"I can't help it," Starscream told him, feeling a little embarrassed, but he forgot all about it when he felt Megatron slowly stroking the insides of his thighs. "Enter me, please enter me."

"Well, you're MY pleasure drone, aren't you?" said Megatron, his voice low. "So you need to pleasure ME first."

With that, Starscream found himself flung around so that he was now on top of Megatron, who grabbed him and hoisted him up so that they were face-level. Starscream flinched as he felt Megatron nibbling his wings slightly.

"Please, don't...don't do that," he whispered, shaking his head.

"What I say goes," said Megatron shortly, slapping Starscream hard on the aft, and continued his biting as he worked his hand all the way down in between Starscream's legs again. When Starscream felt Megatron’s large fingers letting themselves in, one after the other, he just closed his eyes and let himself enjoy it…

It didn’t last very long, though—Megatron soon pulled his fingers out and picked Starscream up by his armpits, easily lifting him off of the repair table. Starscream was on the floor, on his knees; Megatron sat up on the repair table and spread his own legs, leaving no doubt as to what he wanted. Starscream nodded solemnly and gave Megatron head, trying his best but getting cut off all of a sudden as he felt Megatron grab his helmet, yanking him backwards, Megatron’s massiveness slipping unpleasantly out of his mouth.

"Just a little bit more, pleasure drone," Megatron said wickedly, "and you shall get your reward."

"What do you hunger for, Master?" Starscream whispered as Megatron lifted him back onto the table.

Megatron grabbed Starscream’s hand and told him to pleasure himself. It still felt a little awkward to masturbate in front of somebody else, especially Megatron, but not so much that Starscream was unwilling to do it. Besides, what choice did he have? By now, he had been waiting a long time for what he wanted, too, and when he felt Megatron’s warm tongue running up and down his wings, he felt release and knew that his transfluid was all over Megatron’s lap.

"So you've gone and done that already, huh?" Megatron hissed. "Well, I certainly hope you'll be able to hold off a little longer…next time.”

"No, Master!" Starscream begged, landing on the floor when Megatron stood up. "Don't leave yet! I can do it again!"

"You don't get your overload before I do, pleasure drone," Megatron told Starscream, knocking him aggressively backwards onto the floor. "Your overload is mine alone.”

“Here,” Starscream whispered, pointing towards his literally soaking valve region.

Starscream sighed with relief as Megatron climbed on top of him and then forced his legs apart. Starscream felt a sudden jolt of sharp pain as the well-endowed Megatron shoved himself in.

“Yes, yes, that feels wonderful,” Starscream moaned. The pain was now accompanied by pleasure; he was beginning to enjoy the sensation of being completely filled as his Master reached the maximum point of pressurization. 

“Quiet!” said Megatron, grabbing Starscream’s hand, which was still handcuffed, but delicious waves of pain were still coming, and even though Starscream couldn’t move and Megatron was so deep inside of him that every intense thrust brought stinging tears from his eyes, he was loving every minute of it…but before he knew it, it was over as he felt his master overload inside him, his slag buddy's warm seed filling him up, slightly messy but amazingly intimate. 

After Megatron finished his release he pulled out and stood up, with Starscream there, still on his aft, legs spread. Knowing he’d be walking funny for the rest of the day and maybe even tomorrow, Starscream quickly pulled his knees together and felt himself blushing.

Megatron removed the handcuffs and as he left the med bay Starscream heard him say, “Well done, pleasure drone.”

“Anytime, Master,” said Starscream, nodding, dazed from the experience. His wings were stinging with pain from being bitten and slammed into the floor—actually, most of him was hurting, and his eyes were still blurred with tears, but it was a good kind of hurt. It always was. Megatron had given Starscream what he’d wanted most; the mixture of physical pain and pleasure that could distract him, albeit temporarily, from the fact that his world was crashing down around him.

But as soon as Megatron was gone, Starscream broke down and started to cry, just thinking of the fact that he was now more alone than ever.


	8. Bad CNA

And so it went down for the next few weeks or so; Thundercracker and Starscream shared their bedroom, but they didn't talk to each other at all, and Skywarp stayed with Moonbeam. None of the Trine members were speaking to each other. Thundercracker just watched TV all day (when he wasn't glaring at Skywarp and Moonbeam). Skywarp showed off his relationship with Moonbeam, just to irritate Thundercracker. Starscream thought they were being petty, childish and even ridiculous; his spark was broken.

Due to all this stress, Starscream hadn't been out flying for three or four days, which he knew was a bad mistake because flying was a necessity to keep any Seeker healthy, but he had been so depressed that he didn't want to do anything, even take to the skies, although that normally would have cheered him up. All this drama had completely exhausted him, too; even though he got regular recharge, he woke up just as tired as he was when he fell into restless stasis the night before.

So that morning, Starscream wasn't surprised to find that his wings had begun to ache a little, and he made the unpleasant realization that his nausea from last night hadn't left, either. Being grounded for three days or more was just the limit, and it explained away the fact that his health had apparently been deteriorating over the past few days. Starscream knew that, as tired as he was, he needed to get some breakfast and then outside to fly.

Starscream leaned over and picked his glasses up off of the nightstand, cleaning them off with his fingers. For almost a week now he hadn't been bothering to put in his contacts, as he saw it as too much trouble for his tired body and how had he never noticed how awful those eye drops smelled? In fact, he wasn't sure where his contacts were, and he couldn't care less if he looked incredibly "geeky", as Thundercracker put it.

By the time Starscream got to the kitchen, his wing pain had increased, making it harder to ignore and harder to walk. Every symptom of FDS (short for "Flying Deprivation Syndrome") seemed to get worse when he walked around. Soon he'd be getting crotchety and moody and even violent. All in all, though, he just felt generally lousy.

Starscream made himself walk to the refrigerator and get a cube of high-grade. After all, he'd need fuel if he wanted to fly, right? Starscream felt himself getting tense as he watched the fuel sitting there on the table, waiting for him to drink it, but he couldn't bring himself to pick it up and pour it down his throat.

"I'll come back to you later," Starscream told the energon cube, pushing it away, and stood up.

As soon as Starscream got outside, he turned to jet mode and soared up into the sky. The sensation of flying was wonderful—here, he was free from everything horrible that had been happening in his life since that stupid Moonbeam had arrived. This was all her fault; everything about her made Starscream sick.

That was when he realized he didn’t mean that figuratively—Starscream was confounded when he realized that being in the air was just making his nausea even worse. Well, maybe if he went a little bit faster…but as Starscream accelerated to top speed, he was horrified to feel his thrusters beginning to falter.

Okay, time to land! Starscream started to turn into a robot again but before he could, he plummeted towards the ground, neither jet nor robot, his thrusters giving out completely.

Feeling panicked, Starscream picked himself up off of the ground and dashed into base, then sunk down onto the couch, wondering what went wrong. Never, ever had he experienced airsickness before. Seekers didn’t get airsickness! But there was no other way to describe what had just happened to him.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t finished his fuel earlier. Starscream made his way to the table where his breakfast was still sitting, waiting for him to drink it.

When Starscream opened the energon cube, he lifted it up to try and get a sip of it, but he was instantly averted by the cube's horrible smell. Was this expired? Had Megatron forgotten to order somebody to clean out the refrigerator? Just the thought of drinking this supposedly harmless nourishment was enough to make Starscream threateningly nauseous. Eventually, he managed to force a mouthful of the disgusting stuff down…but then he felt his stomach lurch. Starscream had barely made it to the self-maintenance room off the Seekers’ room before he found himself collapsing onto his knees and purging all over the floor.

Then he heard a startled voice call his name: “Starscream?!”

It was Skywarp, who had apparently walked in on Starscream’s vomit-fest. Starscream had been too sick to even notice.

“What happened?” Skywarp cried, hoisting his brother to his feet. “Are you okay?”

Starscream shook his head, no, and Skywarp guided him to his bed.

“Sit down, Starscream,” said Skywarp, obviously trying to keep from panicking as he stroked Starscream’s wings. “Put your head between your knees…breathe, that’s it…”

Once Starscream had calmed down a little and his stomach had settled (partially), he swallowed hard and whispered, “Thank you, ‘Warp.”

“Please, tell me what happened,” Skywarp begged.

“I don’t know,” Starscream moaned, feeling vomitty all over again as he fell back onto the bed. “This morning I didn’t feel so good, so I went out to fly…and I don’t know why but I got airsickness or something. I tried to have some energon, but I think it was expired or poisoned or something because it made me throw up.”

“Why would flight make you feel sick?” asked Skywarp, giving Starscream a hug. “Flying is supposed to make you feel better when you’re sick! I think we should go see Moonbeam about this.”

“That’s okay, ‘Warp,” said Starscream, shaking his head. “Whatever this is, I’m sure it’ll go away on its own.”

“Only the medic will know for sure,” Skywarp insisted, pulling on Starscream’s hand.

“All this is giving me a terrible headache…” Starscream groaned and lay back on the bed. “I just want to go to sleep.”

They were interrupted by Thundercracker storming into the room.

“What the—oh.” Thundercracker glared at them as he shut the door. “It’s you two.”

“Well, who did you expect?” Skywarp said angrily. “This is my room too!”

“Not ever since you started staying in the guest room with Moonbeam,” Thundercracker shot back.

“Guys, stop FIGHTING!” Starscream cried.

“Starscream is right,” said Skywarp. “There’s no time for that. Starscream is really, really sick.”

“Yeah?” Thundercracker grunted. “What’s wrong with him?”

“My head hurts, my wings hurt, and I’m sick to my stomach,” Starscream answered, struggling to sit up again. Skywarp gently pushed him back down.

“So go out flying, moron,” said Thundercracker. “It’s just FDS, obviously.”

“I thought of that!” Starscream told him defensively. “I was sure I had FDS and that was why I wasn’t feeling just right. But when I was flying, I got airsick or something, my thrusters failed, and I wiped out. When I got inside, I threw up just because of the smell of my breakfast.”

“Please, Starscream, you really should see the medic,” Skywarp insisted. “This is her job!”

“I hate to admit it, but he’s right,” Thundercracker agreed.

“Of course you want to see the medic. You’re obsessed with her,” Starscream mumbled so nobody could hear him.

“What?” said Skywarp.

“I said we can go,” Starscream said. “But please don’t teleport me, okay? Just thinking of that makes me—makes me—”

“Don’t!” Thundercracker clapped one black hand over Starscream’s mouth. “We’ll just walk, okay?”

…

Moonbeam was sitting on the repair table in the med bay, sipping a cube of energon, tapping her foot and waiting for the hours to pass. Being on call could get so boring sometimes. Sure, she liked being a medic, but that didn’t mean she had to like sitting in the med bay all day long, waiting for a sick or injured comrade to stumble in.

But that was exactly what happened a moment later.

“We need your help, Moonbeam!” Skywarp cried frantically, yanking Starscream into the room, Thundercracker right behind him. “Hurry!”

“What happened?” Moonbeam calmly hopped off the repair table and walked over.

“I suppose he got some sort of sickness, like a virus,” Thundercracker explained.

Moonbeam crossed her arms, looking bored. “What’re his symptoms?”

“I’m feeling sick,” said Starscream, “and my wings hurt. My head does too. I’m starting to feel fatigued.”

“Well, did you ever—”

“NO, it’s not because I haven’t been flying enough,” Starscream interjected, glaring at her. “I already tried that and it just made everything worse.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” said Moonbeam. “Many Seeker afflictions are misdiagnosed as FDS. Aching appendages, especially the head and wings, are common symptoms. But your appetite shouldn’t have been affected. Are you fatigued because you haven’t been eating, or because you’ve been having trouble sleeping?”

“I haven’t been having trouble sleeping,” said Starscream. “I’ve been sleeping even more lately. It’s just that I don’t feel rested.”

“Contrary to popular belief, FDS rarely interrupts your sleep cycle,” said Moonbeam. “The fatigue you feel is simply because you get a lot of your energy supply when you fly, and when you don’t fly, it saps your energy. It actually has very little to do with lack of sleep or malnourishment. The only thing you’d have any energy for right now is your mood swings, and you actually seem less emotional than you usually are. If you were truly experiencing FDS, you’d have attacked me by now.”

“I’m too tired to attack anyone,” said Starscream. “But it’s only been three or four days. I don’t think my symptoms have fully kicked in yet.”

“Starscream, the full effects of Flying Deprivation Syndrome manifest themselves in less than forty-eight hours,” Moonbeam reminded him. “I’m telling you, it’s not what you have.”

“I KNOW it’s not what I have!” Starscream yelled at her. “I tried to go flying already this morning! Nobody listens to me!”

“We’re listening to you,” said Moonbeam, placing her small hand on his wing.

“DON’T TOUCH MY WING!” Starscream hollered, looking angry at first, but then he collapsed against the side of the repair table, his hand on his forehead. “Oh Primus.”

“Are you okay?” Skywarp cried, rushing over. “Come on, sit up here.”

“What was that?” said Thundercracker, as Skywarp helped Starscream up onto the repair table.

“I don’t know what that was.” Starscream sighed. “I just felt a little dizzy for a bit…I guess I shouldn’t have gotten mad.”

“Don’t worry,” Skywarp said, jumping up on the repair table next to Starscream and giving him a hug. “We still love you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I love him,” Thundercracker grumbled. “That’s a little too close for comfort.”

“Either way, Starscream, I have a question for you,” said Moonbeam. “It might feel kind of…uncomfortable to answer, but you have to be honest.” 

“Fine.” Starscream shrugged listlessly.

“Well, I hate to be nosy, but as your health-care provider, I have to ask you this.” Moonbeam picked up her energon cube off her desk again and took a long sip, then put it down. “Have you been interfacing with anybody lately?”

“No, of course not,” Starscream lied, his face feeling hot as he thought about his latest experience with Megatron. It had been almost a month ago by now, and they hadn’t done anything since, but it was still fresh in his mind.

“Yeah, okay, I’ve been lied to about it before.” Moonbeam rolled her eyes. “It’s just that to be in the family way, you generally have to have ‘faced with somebody first, and have you ever considered that to be a possibility?”

“That’s the biggest load of scrap I’ve ever heard!” Starscream yelled, pointing at her.

“Fine, don’t listen to the medic, who happens to have delivered plenty of sparklings before and knows what she’s talking about,” said Moonbeam sarcastically.

“What does ‘family way’ mean?” Skywarp raised his hand, looking confused.

“It means pregnant,” said Moonbeam. “That’s my diagnosis, at least so far.”

“But why do you think I’m going to have a sparkling?” Starscream asked, a note of fear creeping into his voice.

“You’re showing quite a few symptoms, that’s why,” Moonbeam told him. “But I don’t know if you’re having mood swings or if this is just normal behavior for you.”

“But are we going to test him?” Thundercracker asked. Of course, he and Skywarp were looking shocked too.

“Definitely,” Moonbeam replied. “I’ll just need a small sample of your CNA, we’ll wait for the test to register, and you’ll be good to go.”

“You know how much I hate needles,” Starscream whined.

“You know how much I hate cowards,” Moonbeam said back, grabbing her kit of medical supplies. “Seriously, just let me prick your finger and it’ll be done before you know it.”

Starscream shut his eyes and put his free hand over his mouth as Moonbeam grabbed his other hand.

“Okay, just a little pinch…” said Moonbeam (not knowing, apparently, that this just made it worse), and stuck the needle into one of the wires in Starscream’s finger. It probably only took a few seconds, but to Starscream, it felt like hours. Why couldn’t she just use some of his vomit or something? Certainly he was doing enough of that.

The nausea Starscream currently had just got even worse when he saw his own raw energon being harvested into test tubes for analysis. Being a scientist, he was no stranger to test tubes, but he rarely worked with test tubes that contained actual body fluids.

“That really hurts,” Starscream whimpered. “Are you done?”

“Just about,” said Moonbeam, pulling the needle out and wrapping a bandage around the pricked finger. “The bleeding will clot very soon. Come back here in an hour and I’ll give you guys the results, okay?”

…

Starscream and his Trine were back in the med bay one hour later, right on schedule, jostling each other in a hurry to get to Moonbeam. Starscream was visibly shaking with fear and anticipation; his brothers were following behind him, looking curious; and Moonbeam was just standing there calmly, arms crossed, waiting.

“What are the results?” Starscream gasped.

“Well, let’s see,” said Moonbeam, picking up her data pad. “I didn’t look yet.”

“Hurry up!” Starscream told her.

Moonbeam read over the results for a minute, and finally she looked up and said, “Looks like I was right.”

“About what?” Skywarp asked.

“About his pregnancy, you glitch-head,” Moonbeam told her boyfriend. 

“So I am going to have a sparkling?” Starscream found that his voice was quivering.

“No, not exactly.” Moonbeam glanced down at the results again. “You’re going to be having two.”

“What?!” Starscream cried, feeling dizzy again.

“Which word don’t you understand?” Moonbeam asked flatly. “These test results tell me that you will be giving birth to twins in about eight months.”

“Maybe it was a mistake,” said Starscream, grabbing for Moonbeam’s data pad.

“No touchy,” she said, yanking it back. “And I highly doubt it’s a mistake. This was a blood test, so it’s pretty accurate.”

“But I’m not ready for that!” Starscream sputtered. “What do I do?”

“There’s more information in these results,” Moonbeam continued, ignoring him as she read on. “Hmm…that’s weird.”

“What? What’s weird?” Starscream couldn’t imagine anything weirder than this.

“Well, your little dumplings aren’t purebreds,” Moonbeam replied. “It looks like they only have Seeker CNA on your side. Now, who was it who knocked you up? And don’t tell me you don’t know.”

“Um…I don’t know,” Starscream said uncomfortably. Actually, he had a pretty good idea who the twins’ sire was, but he would never admit it.

“You do know that this test reports both parents’ energy signatures and designations, right?” said Moonbeam. “Let’s see who you’re so embarrassed about ‘facing with, shall we?”

“NO!” Starscream shouted, running over to stop her from seeing the designation of his twins’ sire, but it was too late.

“You spread your legs for MEGATRON?!” Moonbeam shrieked. 

Starscream was trying to snatch her data pad away, but she put it out of reach. “Listen, Moonbeam, this really isn’t any of your—”

“I don’t believe this!” the medic interrupted him. “Of all the possible partners you could have had, why in the name of Cybertron would you choose Megatron?”

Starscream shrugged and stared down at the floor, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. Sure, ‘facing with Megatron was both incredibly humiliating and painful, but also seemed to be the most pleasurable and in the end, he could never resist complying. How could he explain that to everyone here if he couldn’t even explain it to himself?

“It’s okay, Starscream,” said Skywarp, gently touching Starscream’s wing, and that was when Starscream tasted saltwater in his mouth—tears.

“I’m sorry, my contacts must be acting up again,” Starscream mumbled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, apparently forgetting that he was wearing his glasses and couldn’t use that excuse this time.

“You aren’t wearing your contacts, Starscream, remember?” said Moonbeam, walking up to her patient and taking his hands off his face. 

“I-I don’t care,” Starscream mumbled, leaning into Skywarp, who rubbed his shoulder sympathetically.

“Maybe you should get some rest, Starscream,” said Moonbeam seriously. “I think you’ll feel better if you do.”

“I’m never going to feel happy again,” Starscream whined. By now, even he realized he was kind of talking nonsense, but it didn’t seem to matter to him.

“Of course you will,” said Skywarp, smiling as he got off the repair table, taking Starscream down with him. “I’m sure this will be fun.”

“Well, it probably won’t be fun,” said Moonbeam. “But if you take care of yourself, you’ll be less miserable.”

“Real helpful, Moonbeam,” said Starscream. “Not.”

“How about I teleport Starscream back to the Seekers’ room, and then you and I can have a nice little romp in the guest room?” Skywarp winked at Moonbeam and kissed her on the cheek. But before she could respond, Thundercracker intervened. 

Skywarp and Moonbeam were indeed fired up with burning love, but Thundercracker was fired up with burning anger. As that familiar scowl darkened his features, he flexed his wings a little and stomped up to his brother.

“STOP IT!” Thundercracker hollered. “STOP IT RIGHT NOW!”

“What are you talking about?” Skywarp looked shocked as he pulled away from Moonbeam for a second. Thundercracker stared at Moonbeam’s beautiful face, her killer body, and then glared at Skywarp. This was becoming unbearable. Moonbeam was to be his mate, not Skywarp’s, and ONLY his! They were meant to be!

“You stupid freak!” Thundercracker yanked Skywarp away by the wing, ignoring his sudden yelp of pain. “You don’t deserve the lovely Moonbeam! Leave her alone!”

“What, you think Moonbeam’s too good for me?” Skywarp yelled back. “You don’t think I’m a good boyfriend?”

“You think you’re a good boyfriend?” Thundercracker let out an artificial laugh. “You don’t know the first thing about having a girlfriend!”

“At least I have a girlfriend!” Skywarp shot back. “Who’s the stupid freak now, huh?”

“Just who do you think you are?!” Thundercracker roared.

“Better than you!” Skywarp shouted. “If you were my friend, Thundercracker, you’d be HAPPY for me and my girlfriend!”

“If you were MY friend, you wouldn’t keep rubbing your stupid relationship in my face!” Thundercracker hollered, shoving Skywarp aggressively back into the wall.

“I’m not rubbing my relationship in your face!” Skywarp grabbed Thundercracker by the wing. “THIS is rubbing my relationship in your face!”

To everyone’s surprise, Skywarp dealt a hard-enough-to-dent punch to Thundercracker’s faceplates, knocking him onto the floor. Thundercracker immediately bolted up, seething with rage, and tackled the purple jet so that both of them were on the floor. It wasn’t long before a full-blown fistfight had started.

The two Seekers were hurling insults and obscenities at each other as they tried to tear each other apart—with more ferocity than some Autobot/Decepticon battles. Starscream chanced a glance at Moonbeam, who was leaning on the repair table, smirking, as usual. Obviously, she just loved it when these two mechs fought over her, both of them willing to destroy each other for her love.

“I’m right!” Thundercracker shouted. “Starscream, tell him I’m right!”

“No, tell him I’M right!” Skywarp interrupted.

“Shut up!” Thundercracker yelled. “Starscream, tell him!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Skywarp slapped Thundercracker. “Obviously, he thinks I’m right!”

“No he doesn’t!”

“Yes he does!”

“No he DOESN’T!”

“Yes he DOES!”

“STOP IT!” Starscream screamed. “Just STOP IT! Neither of you are right! You’re just a couple of idiots who have betrayed the Trine and I don’t want to talk to you or have anything to do with you or even LOOK at you ever again because I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

Skywarp and Thundercracker froze in the middle of their fight. Moonbeam’s smug expression turned to one of shock as Starscream burst into tears and bolted out of the med bay without another word, slamming the door behind him.


	9. Miserable Days

Thundercracker was asleep, snoring away like a chainsaw (as usual), but Starscream couldn’t go to sleep, and not just for that reason. There was no comfortable way to sleep, for one thing. Sleeping on his front didn’t feel right, obviously, and whenever he tried to sleep on his back it made his wings hurt. Whenever he tried to sleep on his side, his big wings, sticking out on either side, got in the way.

So basically that left him to toss and turn all night long, trying to forget about his pregnancy and the fact that his two best friends had broken out into a physical fight, right there in the med bay. Immediately afterwards, he’d headed off to the Seekers’ room and refused to talk to anyone for the rest of the day. At night, Thundercracker came in too, but he fell asleep almost immediately.

Starscream felt a few tears leak out of his eyes as he struggled to get comfortable, finally deciding to lay on his back, but that just caused his wing pain to increase. OUCH. Dear Primus, did that hurt. Starscream closed his eyes and tried to focus on something else, but he couldn’t—he was in complete agony.

That was when he heard the door to the Seekers’ room slowly open and then shut again, and footsteps walking over to his bed.

“Starscream? Are you awake?” Skywarp asked, tapping Starscream’s helmet.

“Skywarp?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Skywarp sat on the edge of Starscream’s bed. The purple jet reached out and rubbed Starscream’s forearm a little. “I’m really sorry about today.”

“That’s all right, ‘Warp,” said Starscream, sitting up in bed and wrapping his hands around his knees.

“I brought you a present from me and Moonbeam,” Skywarp said, holding up a container of what looked like lotion.

“What is it?” Starscream asked.

“Moonbeam says your wings won’t stop hurting until after your twins are born, but this ointment helps relieve it, at least a little.” Skywarp handed the ointment over, and Starscream gratefully took it. “Plus, she says the first few months are the hardest. Soon the worst of this will be over. And in about eight months or so, you’ll finally be holding two adorable little sparklings. Won’t that be worth all the scrap this pregnancy is going to put your body through?”

“I guess so.” Starscream fiddled with the ointment and stared at the ground.

“Are you scared?” Skywarp’s voice was small and quiet.

“No,” said Starscream, wondering why he bothered to deny it.

“Well, you don’t have to be,” Skywarp told Starscream, reaching over and giving him a hug. “Moonbeam’s done this plenty of times before. I know she’ll do everything she can to help you, and so will I.”

“Yes, I’m sure everything will be fine,” Starscream mumbled. Skywarp was completely blind to the fact that Moonbeam and Starscream had never exactly hit it off.

“And, y’know, I don’t think you’re weird for ‘facing with Megatron,” Skywarp continued, shrugging. “I mean, if it makes you happy, then it’s okay.”

“Well, it sort of makes me happy, ‘Warp,” Starscream told him. “But not in a good way. It shouldn’t make me happy, I know that, but I just can’t make myself stop.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Starscream,” said Skywarp. “But I still think your twins are a good thing. Whenever a sparkling is born, Cybertronians rejoice…double that for when there are two of them.”

…

Starscream was standing outside of Megatron’s quarters the next morning, feeling more scared than he had ever felt in his life. When he had awakened that morning, he’d applied some of Moonbeam’s wing ointment. It had helped a little, but it hadn’t gotten rid of the underlying ache.

“Lord Megatron?” Starscream whispered, knocking on the door. When it opened, Starscream yelped a little in surprise, but it was just Megatron, standing there, glaring at him as usual.

“What is it now, Starscream?” he asked.

“Well, I-I kind of have something to tell you,” said Starscream, starting to feel even sicker than he already did. Maybe it was his regular nausea, or maybe it was because he was terrified out of his mind. Probably the latter. “You should probably sit down.”

Megatron looked a little confused, but sat down on his bed anyway. Starscream just continued to stand there.

“I don’t have all day, Starscream,” Megatron said shortly. “Spit it out.”

“Please don’t put it that way,” Starscream mumbled, clutching his stomach and sinking down onto the floor. Honestly, what was going on? It didn’t feel like he was going to have sparklings; it felt like he was going to die. 

“Starscream, what IS it?!” Megatron demanded.

“I’m going to have your sparklings,” Starscream blurted out. “Twins, in fact.”

The words took a moment to register, but before he knew it, Starscream found himself picked up by the wrist and flung into the wall.

“You’re WHAT?!” Megatron hollered.

“Megatron, stop!” Starscream cried. “Don’t kill me!”

“I can’t believe this!” Megatron stormed over to Starscream and stood up again, grabbing him by the shoulder. “You disgusting little whore!”

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t forced yourself in between my legs, it wouldn’t have happened,” Starscream said bitterly, turning away.

“You had just as much to do with that as I did!” Megatron yelled, hitting Starscream so hard that he slammed into the wall again. “This is all your fault, Starscream!”

“How is it MY fault?!” Starscream screamed at him, trying to stop himself from crying again. “I always let you do whatever the slag you wanted with my body, allowed you to rob me of my dignity, every time! And now, when you knock me up, it’s suddenly MY fault? How does THAT work?!”

“You faint-hearted coward!” Megatron hollered. Starscream cried out in pain as he felt himself get clobbered once more, enough to bring him to his knees. “You pitiful excuse for a Decepticon!”

“Listen to me, Megatron, they’re your sparklings too!” Starscream insisted. That was a mistake.

“They are NOT mine!” Megatron shouted, pulling Starscream up by the head and shoving him away. “I don’t want them! And when they’re born, their filthy little bitch of a mother can take care of them!”

“Megatron!” Starscream cried. 

“Leave my presence!” Megatron backhanded Starscream in the side of the face and shoved him towards the door. “I don’t even want to look at you!”

Without another word, Starscream exited the room, trembling and wiping tears, knowing his face would be dented for at least a week.

…

Starscream knew deep down that a sparkling was always a good thing in itself, but the side effects that came along with one weren’t. Ever since he’d gotten the “Big News”, his life had become a living hell. (Luckily, when Moonbeam had treated Megatron’s congratulatory gift on the side of his face, she fell for his lie that he had tripped and fallen on the floor.) Starscream had to tell everyone else at base that he was having Megatron’s sparklings, and now that their little secret was out, there was no end to the teasing Starscream had to endure. Take Rumble and Frenzy’s hilarious routine, which they repeated at least ten times per day:

“Starscream and Megatron, sitting in the brig!  
K-I-S-S-I-N-G!  
First comes love, then comes marriage,  
Then come the twins in their baby carriage!”

And then there was the simple fact that his symptoms alone were making him miserable. Every day he was plagued by headaches and especially sickness, and he’d given up on using the stupid wing ointment. It didn’t work for him, anyway. All he wanted to do was lay in his bed or on the couch all day, and even the slightest things were ticking him off. If something didn’t make him angry, it would probably make him weepy, and even if he did feel good, it was only for a minute. Starscream spent half his days purging and the other half hysterically yelling at everyone, because he wanted that foolish scum to leave him alone, and once they did, he got all upset because he couldn’t understand why they were all running away from him. Traitors!

Worst of all, it seemed that nobody really did have any time for him. Nobody CARED about him! Sure, Moonbeam was supposed to be helping him, but she really only sympathized with Starscream when she had to, like at his first sparkling appointment. Usually, she was just out with her boyfriend Skywarp, making him buy expensive things for her as he let her boss him around. Thundercracker would occasionally keep Starscream company, but he got bored or exasperated as Starscream’s constant whining continued on. (One time, he commented that Starscream was acting like a sparkling himself; that was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.) And obviously, Megatron was no help.

One morning, Starscream was lying on the couch, one pillow behind his head and another underneath his aching wings. Right now, he was all alone. The TV was on—Starscream was trying so hard to distract himself from his aching body and unsettled stomach, but there was no TV show captivating enough that it could draw his attention away. But when you were so alone…

Starscream was startled when he heard a familiar voice saying, “Hey.”

“Megatron?” Starscream looked up. Megatron was standing above him, expressionless, holding out a cube of energon.

“I-I thought you might want this,” Megatron said quietly.

“Get that thing away from me.” Starscream closed his eyes tight so he wouldn’t have to look at what Megatron had in his hands. “In fact, get your whole self away from me.”

“Don’t you care about the sparklings?” said Megatron, setting the fuel down on the coffee table. “This is the healthiest energon on the market.”

“I said I don’t want any!” Starscream screeched, knocking the energon cube off of the coffee table and bursting into tears yet again, watching the bright pink liquid spilling out of its cube, staining the rug. For some reason the sight made him incredibly upset. “I hate you, Megatron! Just go away!”

“Well, you just wasted a whole cube of energon,” said Megatron, rolling his eyes and starting to leave.

“Megatron, wait!” Starscream sobbed. “Don’t leave me!”

“You just told me to go away!” Megatron yelled. “Make up your mind!”

“Why are you yelling at me?!” Starscream was pretty much hysterical by now, so Megatron came back to sit with him.

“Nobody is yelling at you, Starscream,” Megatron said, making his voice even. “I just want you to calm down and think logically.”

“I don’t want to think logically.” Starscream sniffed and tried to stop crying, but he couldn’t. “I just want to feel better.”

“Well, can’t Moonbeam do something?”

“She doesn’t care,” Starscream said shakily. “Nobody cares.”

Megatron sighed and picked up the empty energon cube from the floor, tossing it back and forth in his hands. “I’m sure someone cares.”

“Is it you?” Starscream asked. “Do you care?”

Megatron paused for a moment, then stood up and set the energon cube back on the coffee table. “No.”

Starscream called for Megatron to come back again, but this time he didn’t listen.

“I hate my LIFE!” Starscream cried, bursting into hysterics all over again; he eventually attracted Moonbeam and Skywarp, who were about to go on their date. 

“Starscream?” Skywarp asked, walking over to the couch, Moonbeam close behind him. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay!” Starscream howled.

Skywarp, looking concerned, lifted Starscream up and sat next to him on the couch. “You know, if you want us to stay with you today instead of going out, we can.”

“You don’t want to go on our date?” Moonbeam asked, her voice a little shriller than usual. “Don’t you love me, sugar daddy?”

“Oh, of course I love you, kissy-wissy,” Skywarp said sincerely, standing up and drawing her into a big warm hug. “It’s just that Starscream isn’t feeling too good right now…he needs me, y’know? I’m his brother.”

“But I’m your girlfriend,” Moonbeam whined, managing to squeeze some fake tears out of her big sad red eyes. “You aren’t abandoning me, are you?”

“No, it’s always been you, Moonbeam,” Skywarp whispered, closing his eyes and kissing her cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too, sugar daddy,” Moonbeam told him. “Could we please go out today? It would mean so much to me…”

“Starscream?” Skywarp asked tentatively. “Do you think you’ll be okay without us?”

Well, let’s see. Right now, Starscream felt absolutely miserable, he had no idea what being pregnant was going to be like but he knew he didn’t like it so far, he was terrified of giving birth, and he knew he would definitely be the world’s most horrible parent (well, besides Megatron, that is). Was it any wonder why he was feeling depressed?

“Skywarp, I really…” Starscream felt tears in his eyes again.

“Let’s go, sugar daddy,” said Moonbeam firmly, tapping her foot.

“Listen, I’ll bring you some ice cream, okay?” Skywarp said quickly, forgetting that Starscream didn’t want to eat anything right now, much less ice cream.

“What in Primus is wrong with you, Skywarp?!” Starscream yelled, but they were already out the door.


	10. Tape Cassettes

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER...

"I still don't know about this, 'Warp," Starscream was saying as Skywarp pulled him excitedly down the hall leading to the med bay.

"Oh, c'mon!" Skywarp laughed. "Don't you want to see what your twinsies look like now?"

"Did you really just say 'twinsies'?" said Starscream flatly.

"Yes." Skywarp linked his arm with Starscream's and teleported them both.

"Well, it's about time you two showed up," said Moonbeam, walking up to them and giving Skywarp a quick hug. She was the only one in the room besides Soundwave, who was waiting and watching in the corner. 

"As you know, Soundwave has generously agreed to give you an ultrasound," Skywarp told Starscream. "Moonbeam, as your medic, is here too."

"It's really Soundwave with the talent," said Moonbeam. "I can't make ultrasound waves. I'm just here to supervise."

"But it was awfully nice of you to do it!" Skywarp told Soundwave.

"Oh, please, he's just doing it because they're Megatron's," Starscream whispered. "Soundwave has no concern at all for my well-being."

Moonbeam, ignoring this, walked up to Starscream and rubbed his cockpit, the lower part where the sparklings' bodies were growing. "Hmm...looks like you're starting to show a little, aren't you?"

"No...not much." Starscream blushed and looked down.

"You haven't noticed?" said Moonbeam sarcastically.

"Not at all, really," said Starscream, but this was a lie; he'd definitely noticed his sparklings starting to make their presence known over the past couple weeks. But the truth was, it made him feel kind of...well, it wasn't easy to describe the feeling. For one thing, he took pride in his looks, and he wasn't accustomed to his perfect frame suddenly changing the way it looked (although his body would be changing much more later on, according to Moonbeam). Not only that, but for the first time you could actually SEE that there were two beings inside his body, and it made him feel a little self-conscious. Sometimes he felt like he was holding up a sign that said, "I Let Megatron Do This To Me." 

"You're going to have two sparklings, Starscream," said Skywarp, placing both of his hands on top of the sparkling-bump. "Do you think they know me yet?"

"Get your hands off me, you freak of nature!" Starscream yelled, swatting Skywarp away. "Besides, they're not coming for another six months!"

"Well, more like five," said Moonbeam. "You're almost at sixteen weeks now."

"So?" said Starscream irritably.

"So, why don't we begin your ultrasound?" Moonbeam replied, gesturing towards the repair table. "Get up there and lay down on your back, please."

Starscream felt a twinge of nervousness as he climbed up on the repair table. Instead of laying down, he sat up and started swinging his legs. Right now he was feeling pretty awkward, especially with Soundwave standing there staring at him silently. "What's he going to do to me?"

"Well, it's a little hard to explain, but he's going to let you see a moving image of your sparklings using ultrasound," said Moonbeam. "Don't be so nervous. The sound waves are harmless and they won't hurt you or your sparklings. Now lay down."

Starscream was biting his lip as Skywarp gently pushed him down. "Are you SURE this won't hurt?"

"I'm sure," said Moonbeam shortly. "Soundwave, transform."

"Oh, no, he's not going to use that probe thing, is he?" Starscream asked nervously. 

"Yes, he is, but you're not ready yet," Moonbeam told him. "Skywarp, do you have that gel...?"

"Right! I can get it for you, kissy-wissy." Skywarp went to Moonbeam's medical kit and handed Moonbeam a little container of gel.

"Thanks, sugar daddy," said Moonbeam, and she started to rub it onto the lower cockpit.

Starscream yelped in surprise. "What IS that stuff? It's freezing!"

"This gel is here to help transmit the ultrasounds from Soundwave to your sparklings' housing," said Moonbeam, not stopping. "Try to have a little faith in me, okay Starscream? I'm your medic."

"Just relax," Skywarp added, squeezing Starscream's hand. "This is a good moment in your pregnancy."

"But I didn't ASK to be pregnant!" Starscream was starting to feel tears forming in his eyes again. "I'm not ready to have sparklings!"

"There's nothing to be scared of," Moonbeam told him. "You know what I always tell expectant patients? I tell them: Be strong for nine months, be brave for one day, and be loving for the rest of your life."

"I'm sorry," Starscream mumbled, taking off his thick square glasses and polishing them off with his fingers. 

"Don't be; your mood swings are completely normal," said Moonbeam airily. "Well, looks like we're ready. Soundwave?"

Starscream squeezed Skywarp's hand even tighter and clenched his teeth as Soundwave extended his long gray probe. For a minute he thought they were going to stick it inside of him, but Moonbeam grabbed it in her small black hand and moved it around, almost like she was trying to give him a massage. But it felt awkward, having his cockpit covered in chilly gel and a medic he'd never gotten along with using Soundwave to basically probe him. So he was hoping this procedure would all be over soon...but then he heard Skywarp cry out, "Starscream, look!"

"Wha...?" Starscream followed Skywarp's finger, which was pointing at Soundwave's screen.

"It's the sparklings," Skywarp said a little tearfully. "Oh wow, I think one has wings!"

"It does?" Starscream gasped in surprise when he saw his sparklings for the first time. Most of Soundwave's screen was gray or black and the image was fuzzy. But just where his brother was pointing, he could see two illuminated little figures, both around the same size, curled up right next to each other, almost like they were cuddling together to stay warm. And sure enough, Starscream could see little wing nubs on one of them.

"They...they look like real sparklings already," said Starscream. 

"At sixteen weeks? Yeah, they actually look a lot more developed than you might think." Moonbeam nodded. "Still not quite ready, of course, but on their way."

"I hear some twins are born holding hands," Skywarp said gently. "Wouldn't that be adorable? Oh, Starscream, that one has his thumb in his mouth!"

Starscream felt himself smiling through his tears, looking at the other twin, sucking on his tiny thumb. "You're right, Skywarp."

"Don't be ashamed if you cry." Moonbeam smirked, leaning on the repair table. "So many of my patients cry at this time."

"Well, they're actually really cute." Starscream wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to hide his crying anyway. Slaggit, he'd need to think of a new excuse for crying until he felt like wearing his contacts again, but usually he was just too tired to put them in when he woke up each morning. "But they're moving. Why can't I feel them moving?"

"They're not quite big enough that you'll feel it yet," said Moonbeam. "Since this is your first pregnancy it will be a little bit later. Maybe around twenty weeks. But they've actually been moving ever since, like, seven or eight weeks when they still looked like little blobs." 

"Just wait until you can hold them, Starscream," said Skywarp. "Wait until you bring two Decepticons into this world...I wonder if that one will still be sucking his thumb?"

"I hope not," Starscream told him. "That would be painful, don't you think?"

"On the other hand, though, you should be able to feel their sparks beating soon," said Moonbeam. "If you haven't already. Have you?"

"How do I know it?" Starscream asked.

"It kind of feels like your spark skipping a beat, or like when you press your hand against someone else's chestplate," Moonbeam replied. 

"I think I have felt that before," said Starscream. "Just a little sort of thumping every so often, if I sit really, really still."

Starscream could hardly see because his glasses were smudged with tears, but when he saw the winged sparkling actually do a flip around, that was when he started bawling.

"Well, that one's acrobatic," said Moonbeam. "Seekerlings are."

"Primus is so wonderful," said Skywarp. Tears were leaking out of his eyes too. 

"I'm sorry," Starscream repeated. "I'm a mess."

"Here, let me rinse off your glasses for you," said Skywarp.

"No, I want to be able to see!" Starscream insisted. "Oh, I hope Soundwave has just recorded the sonogram and not me crying like a sparkling."

"Well, he can make a tape cassette for you, so you can watch it on any screen later," said Moonbeam. "But we have to do some talking. Have you gotten an eyeful?"

Starscream nodded. "I wish I could look at them forever, but that's not very realistic."

"Thank you, Soundwave," said Moonbeam. Soundwave transformed again and (since he'd been recording) gave the tape to Moonbeam. She held it until Skywarp and Starscream had finished cleaning off the gel, and then she handed the tape to Starscream, who held it close.

"I'll keep this tape until the end of time," he said, sitting up on the repair table. Skywarp smiled tearfully and hopped up next to him.

"How are you doing, Starscream?" Moonbeam asked. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a little." Starscream shrugged and gave her a small smile.

And it was true. As the first trimester drew to a close, Starscream's state of being had improved. Sure, his head and wings hurt more than ever, it still wasn't comfortable to sleep, and he had some pretty freaky mood swings, but things weren't quite as bad as before. Now his systems were no longer rejecting fuel, and he had been feeling more energetic, not to mention excited about the twins' arrival. 

"If you're feeling better, it means the sparklings are bonding with you," Moonbeam explained. "For the first few months, you aren't used to another life, another being, inside your spark, but once that small glimmer of life starts to grow into a sparkling, it forms a closer bond with you than anyone else could hope to have. Think about it, Starscream. You have two other lives inside of you."

Skywarp squeezed Starscream's hand again and gave Moonbeam a little smooch. "Oh, kissy-wissy, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

"I should hope so." Moonbeam giggled. "I remember reading it out of my textbook when I took that pediatrics class back in med school." 

While Moonbeam and Skywarp were kissing and hugging, Starscream just sat quiet and tried to listen to the twins' sparks as he stared down at his souvenir tape. Sure, he knew he'd been pregnant for the past three and a half months, but this was the first time it had seemed real, the first time that the full magnitude of it landed on his shoulders. It was the first time when he had felt something beyond sickness and fatigue, the first time he had felt and seen something actually good, something that was a miracle, something he would treasure forever.

MEANWHILE...

Thundercracker was sitting all alone in the Seekers' room, sulking on his bed. On the outside, he appeared to be brooding and angered, and he was, but on the inside, that wasn't the only emotion he had to deal with.

Of course, he was jealous of Skywarp, who got to have Moonbeam all to his own, even though Thundercracker honestly believed Moonbeam was better off as his mate. There was a reason, though, why she wasn't. Skywarp found her first. As much as he wanted to spike that cute femme and spike her good, Thundercracker's primary loyalty to the Trine did not permit him to do so. That was the Mech Code.

What did that mean, though? Right now Thundercracker hated Skywarp. Just looking at the purple jet made Thundercracker almost insane with jealousy and rage…but a small part of him, a part of him he was trying desperately to suppress, wanted his brother back.

Overwhelmed by his misery, Thundercracker got up off of the bed and made his way over to a little memory box they kept in the corner with the words “Command Trine” scribbled on the side in Skywarp’s messy handwriting. As Thundercracker sat down, took off the lid, and started going through the contents, he could feel his eyes beginning to burn with tears. 

In that box were a lot of tangible memories that Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker had saved up over the years. Favorite toys from when they were sparklings; Starscream’s old science projects; prizes and keepsakes; basically everything they had collected over the years and had been too nostalgic or lazy to just throw out. 

Thundercracker dug around a little and picked out one of their yearbooks from Seeker School. It dated back a few million years now, but sometimes it felt like yesterday. Turning through the pages, Thundercracker looked at their photos—that was the year when they had won the Best Friends award. There were old photos of Starscream posing with the Science Club (his favorite extracurricular activity), and there was one photo of the three of them each wearing medals around their necks, from when they’d all three competed in a school-organized dogfight and absolutely destroyed the other team.

As he pulled the yearbook closer to get a better look at the pictures, Thundercracker was shocked to discover that an old tape cassette had fallen out from between the yearbook’s yellowed pages.

"Oh, dear Primus," Thundercracker whispered, his voice shaking as he picked up the little tape. "It's 'All My Sparklings'."

...

Thundercracker ran out of his room, tape cassette in hand, almost smacking into Starscream, who was emerging from the med bay. 

"Whoa, watch it, buddy," said Starscream. "What's the hurry?"

"Look what I found!" Thundercracker shoved the tape cassette at Starscream. "I found ‘All My Sparklings’!"

"You mean the...the skit?" Starscream gently took the tape cassette from Thundercracker's hands and held it in his own. "I thought we'd lost this old thing! Skywarp, c'mere!" 

"No, don't!" Thundercracker yelped, but it was too late.

"What's going on?" Skywarp asked, walking over to them, holding Moonbeam's hand.

"Thundercracker found the tape cassette of that little skit we starred in," Starscream said excitedly.

"Do you mean ‘All My Sparklings’?" Skywarp looked happy. "Wow! We’ve got to watch it!”

"What's 'All My Sparklings'?" Moonbeam asked.

"Back in Seeker School, my brothers and I were in this funny comedy sketch called ‘All My Sparklings’," Skywarp explained. "Thundercracker and I were the parents, and Starscream was our whiny, angsty teenage daughter. In the next scene, where he gets dumped, I take on another hilarious role as his ex-boyfriend."

"That sounds hilarious, sugar daddy," said Moonbeam. "C'mon, let's watch."

...

When the four Seekers got to the main monitor room, Skywarp put the tape into the TV and they sat down to watch the show.

The first scene took place in a living room, where Skywarp and Thundercracker were sitting on the floor in front of a fake TV, pretending to watch it. They did so for a few seconds, and then Starscream entered.

To the audience's amusement, Starscream was dressed as a young femme; for the sake of theater, he was even wearing a bucket of makeup, and he had been temporarily painted with the same approximate color scheme as Autobot Arcee.

"Hold it right there, young lady!" Thundercracker boomed from the other side of the stage. "Before you go ANYWHERE, you remove some of that makeup and wash off that gallon of perfume!"

"But all the other femmes at school wear makeup!" Starscream whined. "You're just a pair of old farts!"

"That's no way to talk to your parents!" said Skywarp. "No leaving the house for a month!"

"I hate this family!" Starscream cried, putting his hands over his face and pretending to burst into tears. "I wish I was never born!"

With that, Starscream ran off of the stage, sobbing hysterically (or pretending to). The curtains shut and the tape cut off, then started again some time later. Thundercracker was standing alone onstage.

"After poor femme Starscream's punishment was over," he was saying, "she finally got to go out to see her boyfriend again. Unfortunately, there was a bit of turbulence."

Thundercracker left the stage, then, and Skywarp and Starscream entered.

"I have something important to say to you, sweet-spark," Skywarp said in mock seriousness, placing one hand on Starscream's shoulder.

"Yes, I will marry you!" Starscream squealed.

"No, not that," Skywarp said, shaking his head. "It's just...I think maybe we should go our separate ways."

"You're breaking up with me?!" Starscream shrieked dramatically, putting one hand over his mouth in fake surprise. "I can't believe it! Oh, you jerk!"

"Wait, baby, don't go!" said Skywarp.

"I never want to see you again!" Starscream fake-sobbed, bolting offstage. Skywarp left too, and then Thundercracker returned.

"Femme Starscream was upset because her boyfriend left her," said Thundercracker. "However, he was happy to be relieved of her constant whining. The end."

"And that was ‘All My Sparklings’!" Skywarp and Starscream chimed, darting onstage again. All three of them bowed, and the tape ended.

Thundercracker was laughing his head off, and Skywarp was snuggling Moonbeam. Before, the breakup scene had always made Starscream laugh too, but as he watched Skywarp and Moonbeam cuddling on the other side of the couch, he couldn't help the nagging feeling that someday, somehow, Skywarp would suddenly find himself in the exact same situation as Femme Starscream.


	11. Three Different Worlds

Moonbeam chased happily after Skywarp as they both soared through the sky. They were having fun playing; Skywarp was winning, but he slowed down a little to let the femme he loved catch up. Once he slowed down, Moonbeam sped up, zooming ahead of him and doing a perfectly executed barrel roll.

Skywarp heard Moonbeam laughing as the two of them kept flying. Now he was glad he’d invited her to go flying with him today. They both loved it and were having fun.

Once they’d been flying for a little, they both turned to robot mode again and sat down. Skywarp opened some energon cubes he’d brought from base so they could refuel...and have something to talk over, of course.

“Flying is much more fun with you, kissy-wissy,” Skywarp told Moonbeam. “Everything is."

“I know,” Moonbeam giggled. “I’m an interesting femme.” 

“You’re really the only femme I’ve ever thought about the future with,” Skywarp continued. “I don’t know how you do it, but you touch every place in my spark. I feel so happy when I’m with you, like nothing bad could ever happen to me. You make me feel vulnerable and strong at the same time. I love when our eyes meet and I can feel the love pulsing throughout both of our bodies. When we make love, that’s the best feeling in the world for me…and I hope it is for you too. I would do _anything_ for you, even if it meant risking my own life. I want you; I need you; I will never, ever stop loving you.” Moonbeam, to Skywarp’s surprise, had a few little tears leaking out of her eyes as she whispered, “I love you too, sugar daddy.”

One soft, gentle breeze blew across the two jets as Skywarp gently took Moonbeam's small black hands in his, then pulled her into a long and passionate kiss.

...

Starscream was sitting in the main monitor room, watching _Seeker Daily Drama_ on the Seeker Channel. Normally, he hated that soap opera, and everyone else he knew hated it too, but he was having one of his "off" days again, and he felt that watching something inane and cheesy was just the thing for him right now.

To be sure, he was feeling pretty lonely. Skywarp had invited Moonbeam on a flying sort of date, and who knows where Thundercracker was off to; he had been gone all day. The only thing keeping Starscream company was a huge stack of energon cubes, many of them empty, as he had been consuming them all day long. The fuel aversions were long gone, and Starscream's appetite had returned in full swing. Indeed, it was actually much more forceful than he remembered; instead of being never hungry, now he was always hungry, oftentimes craving things he never even liked before his pregnancy.

So he was surprised when he heard a familiar voice behind him: "You've had enough energon for now, don't you think?"

"Slag off, Megatron." Starscream took another long swig of energon, regardless of the warning. "I'll tell you when I've had enough."

Megatron looked at the TV screen. "What are you watching?"

" _Seeker Daily Drama_." Starscream scowled darkly at him. "Who wants to know?"

"Can't I ask you a simple question?" said Megatron, frustrated; he pushed several of the empty energon cubes aside and sat down.

"No," said Starscream angrily. "Why would you want to talk to a disgusting little whore like me?"

"Starscream..." Megatron let out a deep sigh. "Have you talked to Moonbeam lately?"

"Not since I had my last sparkling appointment," said Starscream. "Why?"

"Stop asking me why," said Megatron. "It's none of your business."

"It is too my business!" Starscream felt infuriated. "I'M the pregnant one! Not you! So you can shut the slag up! You're the one who doesn't want his own sparklings!"

"Whatever is inside of you...it's...it's alive, isn't it?" Megatron asked, a little awkwardly.

"Of course they're alive," said Starscream. "They've been alive for 21 weeks. What kind of stupid question is that?"

"I was just _asking_ ," said Megatron. "Primus. What's going on in your body is one thing, but what's going on in your head is even worse."

"So what's going on in my body is a BAD thing?!"

"Well..." Megatron looked down at Starscream's cockpit; Starscream self-consciously pulled his knees up. "No."

"No?" Starscream asked, shocked.

"Soundwave showed me the sonogram," said Megatron.

"What?!" Starscream screeched. "I didn't tell him he could do that! Give it here!"

"Relax," said Megatron. "Soundwave gave me my _own_ copy. Now listen. They looked a lot more like sparklings than I thought. I remember...they had little feet and hands and everything...Soundwave told me that you cried like a sparkling."

"I'm going to slagging kill him," said Starscream. "I did not cry, not one bit. Soundwave is just trying to make me look stupid."

"Well, no offense, but I'd believe him before I believed you," said Megatron. "But when I was watching it, I thought...I mean, I know how this _works_ and everything, but that this could actually be going on inside of someone for real...and that you cried...Tell me, were you crying out of happiness or sadness?"

"I told you I didn't cry."

"Shut up and answer, liar."

"Fine," Starscream grumbled. "I'm not sure, okay? I just felt kind of...overwhelmed."

"You were what?" Megatron asked.

"Overwhelmed," Starscream repeated. "I was fine one moment, then I see them moving around like that, and then I remember that someday they'll be actual sparklings...and in my arms. There was that one with wings, and one of them had his thumb in his mouth, I didn't even know unborn sparklings could do that. Mine will do that. So I tried not to cry, but I couldn't help it."

"I hear instinct has something to do with it," Megatron said.

"Huh?"

"Seeker-kin."

"Oh...right." Starscream shrugged. "Well, maybe. Seekers are wonderfully made, aren't we?"

"Wonderfully made, bah," said Megatron. "Seekers are slagging arrogant, that's what they are."

"We have much to be arrogant about," Starscream told him, then paused. "Oh, Primus...that's such a weird feeling."

"What is?" said Megatron.

"I...I don't know." Starscream leaned back on the couch and almost subconsciously reached for another energon cube. "It's something I've started feeling recently. At first I thought it was some kind of internal malfunction, but Moonbeam said I was feeling the sparklings kicking. But it doesn't feel like kicking. It feels more like fluttering. And I do wish it wouldn't happen so much when I'm around you."

"They're already kicking?" Megatron looked surprised. "Already?"

"What do you mean, already?" Starscream snapped. "I told you, I'm at like 21 weeks! That's like what, halfway through?! Why haven't I felt a REAL kick yet?!"

"You can stop being hostile to me, Starscream," Megatron said sharply. "It just kind of caught me off guard."

"It caught _you_ off guard?" Starscream mumbled sarcastically. "Slag you. I don't even know what to think."

"Any movement is a good thing," Megatron told him. "It's just that...the sparklings...they came from me. Real beings came from me."

" _Beings_? Real intellectual choice of words."

"You know what I mean," said Megatron calmly.

"It's different for you." Starscream could feel tears welling up in his eyes now, even though he tried to hold them back. Stupid tears. The worst possible thing, he knew, would be to cry in front of Megatron again. "You've got the easy part. All you had to do was shove your spike into me one day and that's it, you're done, your contribution is over! I have to carry these sparklings for another five months! How do you suppose I feel?!"

"How could it possibly be so hard?" Megatron yelled. "You've got sparklings inside of you! So what?!"

"What the actual fuck?! I can't believe you just said that!" Starscream slapped Megatron and then he broke down sobbing, falling backwards onto the couch. It was like he didn't even notice his head landing on the energon cubes, even when some of the half-full ones spilled onto the floor. "This stupid pregnancy is EXTREMELY hard on my body! My back hurts, my wings hurt, my head hurts, I've lost my contacts, I keep craving things I didn't even know I liked, I always feel upset and angry and awkward and I don't know why, this is so stupid! I just want this over with!"

"Starscream," said Megatron, but his SIC didn't hear him.

"I hate being pregnant! I hate you! I hate everything!" Starscream was living up to his name and screaming; Megatron was thinking that he really must have set Starscream off this time, because he was literally throwing a tantrum.

"Stop crying!" Megatron didn't know if he was angry or desperate. "Crying never solves anything!"

"Well, so far, nothing else has either!"

 _This is beyond words_ , Megatron thought, and peeled Starscream off the couch. _Maybe he just needs to cry himself out_.

Megatron held Starscream and stroked his wings until his tears subsided. It gave him the opportunity to check Starscream out, even if it wasn't intentional. Of course, as was to be expected, his body had changed a lot. By now his wings were no longer perky and instead pointed downwards; it was partly because they were in constant pain, but it was a well-known side effect of Seeker pregnancy too. It was around this time that he'd be developing a nursing cable, whether he was planning on using it or not. And there was also, of course, Starscream's swollen cockpit. At only 21 weeks, he wasn't huge, but a sparkling-bump was certainly there, beginning to put considerable strain on the rest of his lightweight body. But he was as beautiful as always... _Why is this turning me on_? Megatron thought, sliding his hand onto Starscream's aft. As usual, that body was giving him a major hard on. Oh great...if his interface panel opened Starscream would kill him.

"Are you...are you still feeling their movement?" Megatron asked awkwardly, trying to think about something other than pounding that red aft into the ground.

"Why do you have your hand on my aft?" Starscream said in reply.

"Oh, um, I didn't realize." Megatron snatched his hand away like he'd just laid it on a burning grill. "Sorry."

Starscream turned around and sniffed, adjusting his glasses. "Do you still think I'm...y'know...attractive?" 

"Don't tell me you're worried about that, Starscream," Megatron said quietly, stroking the insides of Starscream's thighs. "You could _never_ be unattractive, even if you tried."

"But I'm...I'm so _different_ , now." Starscream separated himself from Megatron and rubbed the sparkling-bump.

"Different," Megatron said, "but nothing has detracted from your appearance in any way."

"Thank you," Starscream whispered, wiping a tear away. "I'm sorry I said I hated you."

"It's okay," Megatron replied. "You didn't mean it. Or, I hope you didn't."

"I didn't," said Starscream. "But to answer your question...I am feeling their movement, still, a lot. I hope I didn't make them upset."

"May I?" Megatron said softly, holding out one hand.

The mother-to-be nodded. With more gentleness than Starscream knew he had in him, Megatron placed his hand on the Starscream's lower cockpit, right where the sparklings lived. For a moment, nothing happened; then suddenly Starscream jumped.

"Did you feel that?" he gasped.

"What?" said Megatron.

"I swear I felt them... _kick_ or something," Starscream said breathlessly, falling backwards onto the couch and placing his own hands over the sparklings protectively. "I mean, it was a real kick."

Starscream grabbed Megatron's hand and pressed it on top of the sparklings again. After some waiting, there it was, the sensation of the twins' first kick. This time, the tears that shone in Starscream's eyes were those of joy.

...

"This sure is hot, ma'am," Thundercracker was mumbling as he enjoyed the feeling of his spike getting energetically sucked on. The femme's tongue was roaming everywhere, driving his nerves wild, setting them on fire, while her smooth hands stroked his cockpit and wings. "You must be an old pro."

Of course, the femme didn't answer, seeing as her mouth was "occupied", but Thundercracker felt her stifle a giggle. Just before he was about to release, she stopped her blow job and threw herself over him.

"I'm being paid by the hour," she cooed, running her fingers down one of Thundercracker's wings, the other hand still exploring his southern regions. "Don't you think I'm going to try my best?"

Thundercracker felt himself release a little but not fully at her words. He let his hands slither down her legs to in between her thighs; she squirmed happily then hoisted herself up, pulling him into a kiss.

"Your lips are like energon goodies, hon," Thundercracker moaned.

"If you overload more than twice tonight, sweet-spark, I can cut my prices in half," she whispered, then started to run her tongue up and down his wings; her metallic hands squeezed his spike and he forced himself to hold his transfluid in. Surely it didn't count as Round One if he hadn't even entered her yet.

Thundercracker had been at the Cybertronian Gentlebots' Club for most of the day, leaving his brothers and Moonbeam at base. Around dusk, when he was watching the dancers, this hooker had waltzed up to him, introduced herself only as “Gemstone”, and offered him a good frag…at a modest price. Thundercracker, a little high on energon and yearning for some action anyway, had readily accepted.

At Gemstone’s urging, Thundercracker let her sit on top of him, then pushed her back and eased himself in. Her legs were wrapped around his body and her soaking port was wrapped around his spike; his hands were both flat on the floor.

“Good job, Thundercracker,” she moaned. “But let me show you how an old pro does it.”

With this she shamelessly flipped him around without him even having to pull out so that she was on top. Her thrusts were fast and satisfying; it wasn’t long before Thundercracker felt himself release completely inside of her.

Even so, he wasn’t finished. This cheap thrill was perfect. It was helping to rid him of his irritating, unrequited Moonbeam fantasies, albeit temporarily. He pulled out for a little then sat back as she ran her tongue all the way down his body, from wings to cockpit to interface panel.

“Isn’t it my turn now, hon?” Thundercracker asked in his deep voice, and he spread her legs; she squealed at the sensation of his tongue in her southern regions; when he felt himself getting pressurized again he lifted her head up and drew her into a kiss. She grabbed for his spike and shoved it in by her own means, to which Thundercracker let out a yelp…a very pleasured yelp.

“How did you get so, shall we say, fulfilling?” she teased. Since he was on top this time, it was Thundercracker’s job to do the work—not that he really minded…

"That's for me to know and you to find out, hon," he said huskily as she squeezed her legs around him tighter.

"Faster, sweetie, faster," Gemstone moaned, jerking her hips up and running her hands down Thundercracker's back.

Thundercracker completed his second overload and pulled out, then looked into Gemstone's gleaming red eyes. Almost all of her was a pearly white color, in contrast to the black-and-gold Moonbeam; Gemstone was clearly a grounder, and although she was attractive in her own way, it was different than Moonbeam's kind of attractive. She waited with a rather bewildered look on her face as Thundercracker's mind filled with thoughts of how it would be if he was doing this with Moonbeam instead of a random hooker. The familiar feeling of pressurization he could only get for her was coming back, and he asked, "Gemstone...would you mind it if I called you 'Moonbeam'?"

Gemstone laughed. "Who's Moonbeam? Your wife?"

"Not even close," Thundercracker grumbled.

"Girlfriend?"

"In my dreams."

"Lover? Friend-with-benefits?"

"I wish."

Gemstone sat up and gave him an asymmetrical smile. "So is she just some random femme you have a crush on? Because that's okay, y'know? We can still do whatever you want tonight. After all, you're the one paying!"

"Moonbeam is...well, she's my brother's girlfriend," Thundercracker admitted. 

"Oh wow!" Gemstone gasped. "I bet he'd be angry if he knew you loved her too!"

"And I can't do anything with her, no matter how much I want to," Thundercracker added. "That's the Mech Code."

"So what does this lovely Moonbeam act like?" Gemstone cooed. "Because you'll find that I'm also a pretty good actress if I want to be."

"You'll see," said Thundercracker, preparing to enter Gemstone yet again. "Let me show you some fun...Moonbeam."


	12. Tension

The next morning, Thundercracker awoke to Gemstone. He had taken her home with him last night, as she had agreed to stay at base for a couple of days. When they'd gotten home and entered the Seekers' room, Starscream was there, fast asleep. Since the last thing they wanted to do was wake him up, and Moonbeam and Skywarp were in the guest room, they headed to the 'facing hideout of choice, the med bay. They were both tired, and Thundercracker had _finally_ run himself dry for the night, so they both ended up just slipping into stasis, without anything really steamy happening between them.

So that was how Thundercracker ended up on the repair table that morning, with Gemstone, still asleep, wrapped up in his arms. He was thirsty and wanted some breakfast, so he gently shook her awake to see if she wanted something too.

"Good morning...handsome," Gemstone whispered, as soon as her eyes opened.

"Have a good sleep?" Thundercracker asked.

"Oh, yes, TC," said Gemstone smoothly. "I was dreaming about your big throbbing spike all night long."

"Thank you," Thundercracker said proudly. "Now, do you want to go and get some breakfast? You can meet my brothers, and everyone else."

"After living at that Decepticlub so long, I've always wondered what it would be like to be amongst actual Decepticons," said Gemstone, "rather than just charging them for a quick frag. And now I'm with Megatron's team! I mean, I'm not a _part_ of the team, but just to be with you guys...it's just so amazing for me."

"Wait, what do you mean, _living_ at the club?" Thundercracker was curious. "Don't you have a home of your own?"

"No." Gemstone shrugged. "So I spend my time in the Decepticlub, looking for clients. It's...it's how I pay for fuel. You're the only one who's ever brought me home."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," said Thundercracker. "Staying here will be better than living at the club, though, believe me."

"I'm sure I will, TC, and I think you have a valid reason for bringing me here." Gemstone smirked. "We'll make that Moonbeam femme seriously jealous, won't we?"

...

By the time Thundercracker and Gemstone entered the main monitor room, Starscream was already on the couch, watching the blaring TV and snacking on a huge pile of ruby red crystals, the rarest kind of energon. Megatron would scarcely let anyone consume it unless it was for a very good reason. Starscream, however, appeared to have the whole stash next to him on the couch, and cravings did not justify it.

"Oh hey TC!" said Starscream, and shoved another handful into his mouth. "Who's that?"

By Thundercracker's side was a pretty young femme, perhaps around Moonbeam's age or slightly older, a teasing smile on her face. Almost all of her was a pearly white color, although she did have black embellishments here and there. She was clearly a heavyweight and a grounder as well, although Starscream couldn't figure out at first glance what she might have as her alt. mode. Maybe a gun, like Megatron? The bottoms of her feet looked like high heels, and (especially in contrast to the waifish Moonbeam), she had an hourglass figure any mech could love, both curvy and durable. Starscream noticed Thundercracker running his eyes all up and down her body; the blue Seeker was probably visualizing taking all her armor off, piece by piece.

"This is my new girlfriend, Gemstone," Thundercracker replied proudly, slipping his arm around the voluptuous femme's thin waist. "I met her at a club last night."

"Nice to meet you." Starscream's voice was a little muffled as he struggled to swallow the enormous amount of crystals he had just shoved into his mouth.

"Where did you find our red ruby crystals?" Thundercracker asked warily. "You know Megatron doesn't like us to eat it on a regular basis."

"Yeah, I know, that's why I had to wait until today, when that jerk was off on a mission. I've been craving them like you wouldn't believe this whole past week," Starscream said colloquially, flicking one of the little red pieces over to Thundercracker. "Do you want one?"

"I'm good." Thundercracker caught the fuel in his hand and gave it to Gemstone. "Would _you_ like one?"

"Thanks, honey bunch," she cooed, and popped it into her mouth. "Mm...no wonder these things are so rare! They're delicious!"

"Aren't they, though?" Starscream didn't even bother to chew his next handful.

"You know, Screamer, just because you're pregnant doesn't give you the right to sit on the couch all day hogging the TV and inhaling our entire fuel supply," Thundercracker said matter-of-factly, sitting down next to Starscream.

"Um, yeah, it does," said Starscream.

"You're pregnant?!" shrieked Gemstone, sitting down on Starscream's opposite side. "That's adorable! When is your sparkling coming? What will you name it?"

"They'll be here in a little over four months," said Starscream, devouring yet another handful of red energon, "and we haven't decided on their names."

"THEY'LL be here?" Gemstone repeated. "Multiples?"

"Yes, twins," said Starscream, smiling a little. Luckily, he seemed to be in a good mood today. "In fact, they were kicking for the first time yesterday...and a little bit this morning too. It feels kind of weird, but in a good way, I guess."

"Oh, congratulations on your new little ones!" Gemstone squealed, and gave Starscream a big hug. "Can I rub your tummy?"

"Uh..." Starscream didn't want a stranger to have her hands on his sparklings, however nice she may seem. "I don't know about that. They don't really kick that much yet."

"Sorry," said Gemstone, leaning back. "I know it's still your body. It just sounded so exciting when you said they were actually kicking now."

"Well, it is exciting," said Starscream. "I don't think I'll ever forget it."

That was when they heard familiar voices coming from around the corner.

"Thank you so much for that box of candied cyberberries, sugar daddy," Moonbeam was saying flirtatiously as she and Skywarp entered the room.

"Not a problem at all, kissy-wissy," Skywarp said back, but then his attention was drawn to Gemstone. "Hey, who's she?"

"Is that Moonbeam?" Gemstone whispered to Thundercracker.

"That's her, all right," Thundercracker replied.

"Okay," said Gemstone, winking. "Watch me put my hooker skills to good use."

"I'll be here." Thundercracker smirked.

"Call me Gemstone, hon," said Gemstone sultrily, walking up to Skywarp and rubbing his cheek. "I'm Thundercracker's new girlfriend."

"TC has a _girlfriend_?!" Skywarp gasped.

"Didn't think I was capable of that, did you?" Thundercracker said smugly.

Moonbeam walked up to Gemstone and quickly shook her hand, but it was obvious from the way her wings twitched slightly and the poorly disguised look of revulsion on her face that she didn't think very highly of Gemstone. Once the handshake was over, Moonbeam wiped her hand on her leg.

"Nice to meet you," said Moonbeam. Her greeting included all the businesslike politeness due a new acquaintance, but it definitely wasn't sincere kindness.

“My, my, Moonbeam, might I compliment you on that lovely paint job?” said Gemstone. “The dark black does contrast quite amazingly with the beautiful blaring gold. Bold, yet understated.”

“Yours is _so_ much better," Moonbeam said back. “Only that pearly white, with no bright or lively color? Effectively minimalist.”

“And your interestingly small size!” Gemstone continued. “Why, I’m quite jealous. You must be an amazing flier.”

“Oh, it's not _all_ about speed or silly tricks,” said Moonbeam, shooting a mean glance at Starscream, who narrowed his eyes. “Besides, these wings just get in the way. You noticeably don’t have any, so I’m sure any mech you want could scoop you into his arms and carry you away!”

“Don’t be silly.” Gemstone grinned and shook her head. “I admire your willingness to stand by only one mech…no matter how much of a blundering fool he is.”

“Well, I try not to lower my expectations to the point where they’re already met.” Moonbeam laughed again. “Silly me, working so hard every day.”

“I have the opposite problem!” Gemstone let out a loud laugh too. “You don’t know how right you are. I’m always reaching for the stars, never giving up hope on those dreams of mine!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m always being an idiot too.” Moonbeam smirked. “For example, when I was treating one of my patients yesterday, I almost gave him the wrong diagnosis!”

“You’re a medic?” said Gemstone.

“Yes I am,” said Moonbeam. “What do _you_ do?”

“Well, I’m kind of in-between right now,” said Gemstone. “You’re so very smart! You know how I am, always waiting around to find my calling, instead of sticking with the same job for years like you do.”

“I could _never_ do what you do!” said Moonbeam enthusiastically, a smile on her face but her eyes flashing red. Undoubtedly, she had figured out by now that Thundercracker had brought home a prostitute. “I so admire you for just waiting for the right job to come along.”

Gemstone and Moonbeam continued their “conversation”, while the Command Trine shot looks at each other.

“Are they arguing or bonding?” Thundercracker whispered.

“I don’t know, but this room feels awfully...tense all of a sudden,” Starscream whispered back.

Thundercracker shrugged, then got up and walked over to Skywarp and the two femmes. “Now, now, that’s enough, ladies.”

“I’ve got a _lovely_ partner,” said Gemstone.

"Well, we're headed for the bedroom." As Thundercracker swept Gemstone away, he shot a satisfied glance back at Skywarp, whose mouth fell open. "Don't wait up for us."

**LATER THAT DAY...**

Starscream had been taking another stasis nap in the Seekers' room (carrying did exhaust him so), and since they definitely didn't want to wake him up, Thundercracker and Gemstone did their 'facing in the med bay again.

Since he had only been in a light stasis, Starscream jerked awake when he heard his brother coming into the room. Thundercracker looked very satisfied with himself, so the first words out of Starscream's mouth were, "Thundercracker, how could you?!"

"What are you talking about?" Thundercracker snapped. "Just go back into your stasis nap, Screamer."

"Thundercracker, I cannot _believe_ you picked up a random hooker at a club and brought her back home just to spite Skywarp and make Moonbeam jealous!" Starscream screeched, all in one breath.

"That's a lie, Starscream!" Thundercracker shouted. "Gemstone is my new girlfriend and I love her!"

"It was so _obvious_!" Starscream told him, frustrated. "She was even _in_ on it, wasn't she?"

"You know what your problem is, Starscream?" Thundercracker said angrily. "You claim you're so happy for everyone, and that all you want is for everything to be fine, but as soon as somebody besides you gets a chance in the spotlight, YOU can't handle the pressure!"

“So now we’re reducing ourselves to grandiose generalizations again, huh, TC?” Starscream got out of bed, flexed his wings (however pained they were) and approached Thundercracker. “You were always the brooding, pondering one, weren’t you? I was all spontaneous, always getting into trouble, and Skywarp was never smart, but _you_ were always above us, weren’t you? The one who always knew how everybody else operated? You think you know me _so_ well, don’t you?”

“I do!” Thundercracker shouted at him. “You’re just an annoying piece of scrap, and you always were!”

“It takes one to know one, _fool_!” Starscream screamed back.

“WHAT THE SLAG IS GOING ON IN HERE?!” Skywarp hollered, slamming the door open.

“Oh, nothing, Starscream’s just demonstrating his horrible personality to everyone again,” said Thundercracker.

“Why, you!” Starscream shouted another obscenity at Thundercracker and tried to attack him, but Skywarp held him back.

“Please, Starscream, don’t,” the purple Seeker insisted. “Stress is the last thing you need right now. If you’re stressed, the sparkling will be too.”

“I guess our mother must have been under a lot of stress when she was pregnant with us,” said Thundercracker scathingly. “Starscream just had to act in his usual selfish way and take all the bad side effects for himself.”

“That’s hurtful and you know it, Thundercracker,” Skywarp reprimanded him.

Thundercracker expected Starscream to try to hurt him again, but instead Starscream just put his hands over his face and sunk down helplessly onto his bed. Thundercracker was still angry with him, but he felt his spark soften just a little as he watched Starscream trying to hold back a fresh wave of bitter tears.

“Oh, Starscream, I didn’t mean what I said.” Thundercracker sighed and sat down next to his brother. “It was mean. I’m sorry. I really am.”

“Please, you two, just leave me alone,” Starscream mumbled. “Please.”

“Aw, Starscream, you shouldn’t have to go through all this scrap when you’re trying to grow a sparkling,” said Thundercracker. Skywarp raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, but didn’t say anything. “You just need a hug, don’t you?"

“It’s true, TC.” Starscream leaned into him, sounding heartbroken. “I need _lots_ of hugs. Everything is just too much sometimes.”

“Just let it all out, Starscream,” Thundercracker whispered, giving Starscream the much-needed hug. “It’s okay to cry.”

“That’s not what Megatron said.” Starscream wasn’t crying, but his voice did sound choked up.

“Well, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said Skywarp, sitting down next to Starscream and joining the group hug. “The absolute worst thing you can do right now is keep all these bad feelings bottled up inside of you. If you want to scream or cry or break some things—”

“Or even talk, like a civilized being,” Thundercracker interrupted.

“Starscream doesn’t _have_ to act like a civilized being.” Skywarp glared at Thundercracker reproachfully. “All he has to do is let us be here for him whenever he needs us.”

“Thank you,” Starscream told them, sniffing, hot tears dripping out of his eyes and onto Thundercracker’s chassis. By now, he had started wearing his contacts again, and they were itching like crazy—contacts had been uncomfortable to wear all throughout his pregnancy, and this constant crying didn’t help. “My eyes itch.”

“Want us to help you take your contacts out?” Thundercracker offered.

“No, you guys have done enough.” Starscream’s tears fell faster, itching his eyes even worse, as he started off on a tangent. “Sometimes I don’t even know _why_ I have to act like this. I can go from happy to sad to crazy all in one minute and I’m just so slagging SICK of it! I have all these stupid temper tantrums and then I realize I took everything out on everyone like you’re my personal punching bag or something and then I start craving those stupid ruby red crystals and I feel bad because I know I shouldn’t be eating them and then it starts ALL OVER AGAIN! I…you all just _hate_ me, don’t you?!”

With that, Starscream was bawling again. Skywarp stroked his wings, tracing little circles with his fingers for a calming effect; Thundercracker just held his brother tight, whispering things like, “That’s it…let it out…we’re here for you.”

Finally, Starscream had cried himself out…for now.

“Listen, Screamer, nobody hates you,” Skywarp soothed. “We love you and we love your sparklings, and if anybody tries to hurt you, they’re going to have to answer to us. Ain’t that right, TC.”

“Right,” Thundercracker agreed. “Everything will be okay.”

“Remember what I said earlier?” said Skywarp. “No matter what your sparklings are putting your body through, they’re going to be worth it. You’ve only got four more months to go, and then they’ll be here with you, your little angels forever. Many carriers say they’d do it all over again in a spark-beat, that's what Moonbeam tells me.”

“Moonbeam also says I have to stay grounded for the last three months,” Starscream told them miserably.

“It’s because you won’t be able to fly correctly with all that extra weight,” said Thundercracker. “It messes with your aerodynamics, y’know, it kind of puts your point of balance off. Not to mention it’s probably dangerous to fly when you’re really close to giving birth. Imagine if you went into labor while out flying.”

“That would be a disaster,” said Starscream. Of course, he hadn’t experienced labor yet, but he’d heard it wasn’t fun, and it would probably be even less fun if it involved crashing and burning.

“Don’t worry.” Skywarp smiled. “TC and I will only go out flying when we need to, and at all other times we’ll stay with you. Trust us, we’ll make sure you don’t miss out on anything.”

Starscream, having calmed down, leaned back into his bed and prepared to go back into stasis. Thundercracker and Skywarp stood up; Skywarp tenderly tucked Starscream in.

“Tell the sparklings we love them both and can’t wait to meet them,” said Thundercracker, squeezing Starscream’s shoulder.

“I will,” Starscream whispered, and peacefully drifted off into stasis again.


	13. Family Matters

It was getting increasingly harder, but Starscream was managing to lug the huge, heavy crib into base. This couldn't possibly be good for the sparklings, but so far, nobody else had volunteered to help.

That was when Skywarp walked in, a dreamy look on his face...obviously thinking about Moonbeam. When he noticed Starscream with the heavy furniture, though, he ran right over, looking concerned all of a sudden.

"Starscream, what are you doing carrying that?" Skywarp demanded.

"Well, considering I have hardly three months to go now, I figured we should put this crib in the Seekers' room, don't you think?" Starscream grunted, trying to keep a good grip on the crib.

"Here, let me help." Skywarp took the crib from Starscream and grabbed Starscream's elbow, teleporting them into the Seeker's room. Skywarp waved Starscream away and got to work pushing the brand-new crib into the corner.

"Thank you, friend," Starscream said gratefully, collapsing back onto his bed.

"No problem." Skywarp smiled. "Moonbeam says you're entering your third trimester, which means your sparklings are almost ready to be born."

"It's probably going to get real annoying later on, but for now I kind of like all these jabs and jolts I've been feeling," Starscream added, running one hand over his cockpit and snuggling into the pillows, which felt good on his inflamed wings. By now, it wasn't just the cockpit that was swollen; it was basically his entire midsection, and it was going to get even bigger in the next three months. Walking was getting harder and about a week ago he had been forced to give up flying until the sparklings' birth. Because he had twins, Starscream looked farther along than his 26 weeks.

"I'm a little jealous of you," Skywarp admitted. "I'd like to have a little energon cube in the oven, too."

"Well, when you think about it, I have life inside of me, like we saw on the sonogram," said Starscream. "But that doesn't mean it's easy."

"This is the real exciting part, y'know?" said Skywarp, plopping himself down on the bed next to Starscream. "You get to set up their living space, like with the crib, maybe buy a mobile and some toys, wonder what they'll look like, what they'll act like, if any of them will look like you..."

"We know one of them has wings already." Starscream smiled.

"It's so nice how you've decided to set up the crib in here," said Skywarp. "Now if they ever need you, you'll always be there for them. If you don't mind me asking, how are you going to feed them?"

"I decided to use the nursing cable." Starscream shrugged. "Moonbeam said it was their most healthful option, so I went with it. Unfortunately, though, my spark chamber can only fit _one_ cable."

"So fill some bottles with your energon," said Skywarp. "We can help you feed them."

"It's still really uncomfortable, though," Starscream told him, opening the top of his cockpit, his spark chamber, to reveal a thick, medium-length gray nursing cable, solid metal on the sides but softer, liquid-like metal, at the top. It felt good to release it out of its cramped housing. 

"I'm sure you'll get used to it being there," said Skywarp. "But how are you supposed to feed a sparkling with that thing, anyway?"

"The nursing cable is connected to my own energon tanks," said Starscream. "But before it comes out it will be purified, making it safe and nutritious. In fact, I'll be fully lactating soon, even though they won't be born yet. I'm sure it will be great to wake up to a spark chamber full of energon every morning with nobody to feed it to. Or not."

"This way, you'll never forget their meals at home, at least." Skywarp laughed. "Besides, until you start feeding them it will probably only be like a few drips or so. Not a full astroliter, and certainly not enough to fill up your spark chamber."

"I'm pretty sure my spark chamber is supposed to get a little bigger in order to accommodate it, and it just hasn't happened yet." Starscream struggled to push the nursing cable back in, still trying to get used to having a foreign metal object inside of him, and then he sat very still, trying to listen for the twins' sparks. In return he got kicked again, but he just smiled and rubbed his cockpit, getting used to the special spark-bond he had with them.

Even though he felt silly doing this in front of others, including Megatron, somehow bonding with his sparklings felt okay in front of Skywarp. After all, Skywarp wanted to bond with them too, certainly, and he thought it was cute when Starscream showed genuine affection. When he didn't have to worry about what everyone was thinking, Starscream felt a connection, almost like the sparklings knew he was there as much as he knew they were there. Massaging the areas where he felt kicks, imagining what the sparklings looked like right now, feeling his prenatal bond...Starscream and his little ones were in their own world until Starscream looked up to see Skywarp smiling warmly, tears in the corners of his eyes.

"You have no idea how adorable you look." Skywarp sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Would you mind if I...y'know...?"

"Go ahead," said Starscream sarcastically, taking his hands off of the sparklings and placing them behind his head. "Now that I'm 26 weeks along, everyone I encounter is trying to grope me, including strangers. It's like they've never seen a sparkling-bump before. Apparently my body's a tourist destination now." 

"Sorry." Skywarp's faceplates were a little pink with embarrassment. "It's just...I really like sparklings...and I'm their uncle, after all...so I just thought that maybe..."

"I'm just giving you a hard time, 'Warp." Starscream laughed. "It's okay. Knock yourself out."

Skywarp closed his eyes, his hands on top of the sparklings; Starscream set one hand there too. Skywarp kept his eyes closed, but he smiled peacefully and whispered, "Wow...I really _can_ feel them in there."

"I think they're old enough to hear now, actually," said Starscream. "You can try and talk to them, if you want."

"Listen, sparklings, it's your Uncle Skywarp. I can't wait to meet you," Skywarp said tenderly, pressing his head to the lower part of Starscream's cockpit. Although the sparklings were connected to Starscream by his spark, they were definitely filling him out everywhere else, starting to make his back hurt...and it especially hurt after he made the mistake of trying to lift a heavy crib all by himself. They were both perhaps around 100 pounds by now, and they were going to get much heavier later on. "I love you both so much and I wish you were here right now so I could pinch your little cheeks and hold you tight. I guess I could sing to you now if you..."

"Skywarp, I said you could _talk_ to them," Starscream reprimanded the purple jet, cutting him off. "Not _sing_ to them."

When Skywarp sat up again, there were tears shimmering in his eyes as he said, "You don't know how lucky you are, Starscream. I want a sparkling too. That would be the best thing in the world."

"I didn't know you were looking so far into the future," said Starscream. "You're looking to start a family with Moonbeam?"

"Part of it was because of you," said Skywarp. "Especially when we saw the sonogram. That, and everything else, reminded me of how much I love sparklings. Now I have someone in my life who I love...We haven't talked about it yet, but I'm sure she feels the same way."

"I'm sure she does," said Starscream, but he was really thinking, _I HOPE she does_.

"Imagine that." Skywarp was looking dreamy again, lost in another world. "We would be the perfect family. I would be the perfect father, and she would be the perfect mother. I could teach the little sparklings everything I know...help them learn how to fly..."

"Skywarp, if you had sparklings with Moonbeam, they would be purebred Seekers," Starscream reminded him. "They'd have a 100% chance of being able to fly instinctively from about two weeks to a month after birth. You wouldn't have to teach them about flying."

"What about your twins?" asked Skywarp. "They've only got Seeker CNA on your side, right?"

"Yes, well, our race consists mainly of the dominant traits," Starscream explained. "Chances are at least one of them will be a Seekerling, and both will most likely have Seeker-esque qualities, even if they aren't Seekerlings. Some cyberbiologists theorize that ground-bound Decepticon lineage, as well as flying Autobot lineage, can be traced back to cross-breeding between Autobots and Decepticons. Of course, when it comes to CNA nothing's guaranteed, but if you look at it logically..."

"I failed that CNA class back in Seeker School, remember?" Skywarp laughed and shook his head. "Thundercracker didn't even bother taking it."

"It was called 'Decoding the Cybertronian Genome', genius," said Starscream sarcastically, "and I'll have you know I did very well in it."

"I know you did," said Skywarp. "You were always our big science nerd."

"Meaning, I was an _actual_ scientist, not to mention a double major," said Starscream.

"I never said you weren't." Skywarp smiled and gave Starscream a hug. "And no matter what happens, I'll always be happy for you."

...

Skywarp knew Moonbeam was on call today, so he went to the med bay and knocked a little nervously on the door. In his hands were some flowers, just for Moonbeam.

  
"Who is it?" called Moonbeam.  
  
"It's me, your loving boyfriend," Skywarp called through the door. "Nothing's wrong, but do you have a little time to talk?"  
  
Moonbeam opened the door, laughed, and led Skywarp to the repair table. "I have plenty of time for you, sugar daddy."  
  
"Listen, kissy-wissy, I just wanted to discuss something with you," Skywarp said, handing the flowers to Moonbeam. "Something really important."  
  
Moonbeam looked interested now. "How important?"  
  
Skywarp sat up on the repair table and looked away from her. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling about this, but he couldn't avoid asking this question forever. "Well...you know how Starscream's been in the family way for almost seven months, right?"  
  
"No, I didn't know that," she said sarcastically. "Look, hon, can we wrap it up, please?"  
  
"It's just that I'm really excited about it all, and..." Skywarp smiled slightly. "I just wanted to know if you see sparklings in _our_ future, too."  
  
Moonbeam's red eyes were wide, her mouth open; Skywarp hadn't seen her this shocked in a long time. For a few moments, she fiddled with the flowers, then laughed artificially.  
  
"What?" said Skywarp.  
  
"Look, sugar daddy, we haven't even been with each other for a year!" Moonbeam hopped up onto the repair table next to her boyfriend. "I thought you were okay with it being just the two of us. I didn't know you had our whole future planned out already!"  
  
Skywarp could feel his faceplates heating up. "You don't want a family?"  
  
"I might," Moonbeam told him, holding onto his forearms and making her voice soft. "Just not now. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Skywarp said quietly. "I can deal with that."  
  
"Come on, sugar daddy, I've been on call all day long and nothing has happened," said Moonbeam, grinning. "Do you want to get frisky?"  
  
Skywarp wasn't thinking about being frisky; he was thinking about Starscream's little sparklings, almost ready to be born. Surely Starscream would allow him to hold them...right? But it wouldn't be the same. Those adorable sparklings might be his nephews or nieces, but they would never be his sons or daughters.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Moonbeam," said Skywarp, hoisting himself up off of the repair table. "I have to go."


	14. Fight Like a Femme

"Dear Primus, I cannot _understand_ what you see in that Moonbeam femme!" Gemstone was saying to Thundercracker, her voice full of disgust and malice. "I've never met anyone as horrible as she is! Just because I charge mechs to 'face with me, she totally judges me for it. She doesn't even _know_ me. Do you know _why_ my life has to be the way it is?"

"Um...no," said Thundercracker uncomfortably. "Should I be asking why?"

"I was born when my mother was still young because someone raped her," Gemstone said angrily. "So I never met my father and I don't ever want to meet him. Then my mother had to drop out of school because she was pregnant. And she couldn't support me. Then she abandoned me. And I was homeless. I didn't exactly have a lot of options at that point. I didn't know another thing to do."

Gemstone had never known a mech's love, and sometimes she thought no mech ever could love her. Her father had never known her, much less loved her, and of course she didn't love the mechs she sold her body to. Much of the time, she didn't even see their faces. They treated her as a toy, not as a sentient being, and some of them were rough...but they were paying her, and she needed that money to survive. In fact, nobody had ever treated Gemstone as a sentient being; her penniless mother had seen her more as just another hungry mouth to feed. Gemstone recalled the days before she left Kaon, playing in the streets as a cold wind blew, unaware that she was malnourished, unaware that she could be abducted, assaulted, or robbed at any time.

"Look, I'm sorry to hear your story," Thundercracker said, placing one hand on Gemstone's shoulder. "But Moonbeam's not all that bad."

"You just like her because she's pretty, don't you?" Gemstone demanded, her voice sounding a little choked up. "If she was as hideous on the outside as she is on the inside, you wouldn't love her."

"No, that's not it at all!" Thundercracker insisted. "Moonbeam is really nice, and she's a great medic. Starscream was in an accident a long time ago and he almost got killed, but she fixed him up right as rain."

"Well good for her!" Gemstone shouted. "She thinks she's so great just because she's a medic and all, and she doesn't realize that not everyone has a life as easy as hers! I bet she didn't have to work her way through all those years of med school, did she? I wanted to have a nice job, a nice life, too, but not everyone has their life handed to them on a silver platter. Sometimes you don't get what you want!"

"Gemstone, I know that your being a prostitute does not define who you are," Thundercracker told her. "You're a great femme. You can always stay with us, as long as you want to. But if you don't want to stay, I understand."

"I'm staying for two reasons, Thundercracker," Gemstone said angrily. "One, because this is the first time in my life I've ever had decent living accomodations. Two, because I'm going to be the best fake girlfriend that Moonbeam bitch will ever slagging meet."

...

"Oh, Thundercracker, I love you _so_ much," Gemstone was cooing, running her hands up and down Thundercracker's body. As her hands caressed his wings, he shivered and let out a sigh of pleasure; she stroked his face, and they kissed.

As they were making out furiously, Thundercracker paused for a moment and saw Skywarp standing in the doorway, looking at them, the expression on his face unreadable.

 _What_ ’ _s it like to be on the receiving end_ , _huh_ , _Skywarp_? Thundercracker thought as he separated himself from Gemstone smugly.

“Do you want to stay with me for the rest of my life, Gemstone?” asked Thundercracker.

Gemstone noticed Skywarp and giggled. “Oh, yes! I would love to start a nice big family with lots of nice little sparklings!”

“We could live in a nice big house, too,” Thundercracker added. “Just you, me, and our big happy family.”

What Thundercracker didn’t know was that, although they had been on speaking terms up until now, Skywarp and Moonbeam’s relationship hadn’t been exactly peachy lately. Yesterday, Skywarp had initiated the “do you want children” talk with Moonbeam again, and she had gotten angry. The answer had been a big fat “no” this time. They were now in a fight, not on speaking terms at all. Skywarp felt abandoned and heartbroken.

“Imagine the backyard energon parties we could have…” Gemstone continued. “Why, I could teach the sparklings how to cook!”

“I didn’t know you could cook, Gemstone,” said Thundercracker. “I know you would be the _perfect_ wife, Gemstone.”

“We would be the perfect parents,” Gemstone added. “Imagine! You could help the little sparklings practice their flying and everything!”

“Oh, yes, I could teach them _everything_ I know!” Thundercracker replied, dragging out the word.

Ever since Starscream had gotten pregnant and, as he got closer to the due date, everyone was talking about sparklings more and more, Skywarp had realized how much he wanted one of his own…but he couldn’t, not without Moonbeam. When he watched Thundercracker and Gemstone discussing their family plans so freely, he felt his eyes slowly filling with tears.

Thundercracker expected Skywarp to be angry, and he was prepared to gloat…but when he looked at his brother, he was surprised to see that he looked hurt, not angry. It was hard to see from where they were, but Skywarp looked about to cry.

“Sweetie?” asked Gemstone, sounding confused. “What’s the matter?”

  
"N-Nothing," said Thundercracker quietly. They continued to make out, while Skywarp bolted out of the room, determined to escape before the dam burst.

...

Skywarp was hoping Starscream wouldn't be in the Seekers' room, because he just wanted to collapse onto his bed and cry without anyone seeing it. Unfortunately for him, Starscream was there, eating some more ruby red crystals and reading _Decepticon Weekly_. There was one pillow per wing, one behind his head, and another under his back, and he kept adjusting them feverishly.

"Oh, hello, 'Warp," Starscream said calmly as Skywarp burst in. "Would you mind chopping my wings off for me, please?"

"What?" said Skywarp. "Why?"

"This slagging pregnancy makes them hurt by default," Starscream explained, "and now that I'm in my third trimester and can't fly, it's becoming unbearable. Not to mention the huge amount of strain they're putting on my back. Plus I think these twins are kicking each other just as much as they're kicking me. Primus, it's a pain in the aft to even _walk_. So what's up with you?"

Starscream had asked this casually, but when he looked at Skywarp, he knew something was wrong.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Skywarp demanded, his voice shaking.

"You're a wreck, that's why," said Starscream.

"No, I'm not," Skywarp mumbled. "I'm just a little tired."

"What happened, 'Warp?" Starscream asked sternly. "I can tell something's not right."

"I made the mistake of asking Moonbeam about our family plans, again." Skywarp was trying to stay calm, but he was losing balance. "So she got mad and pushed me out of the room. Then, as if that wasn't bad _enough_ , I saw that Thundercracker and Gemstone were talking about _their_ future plans, and it was everything I wanted. Everything."

Starscream wanted to tell Skywarp that Gemstone was just Thundercracker's _fake_ girlfriend, and he was only dating her to cause trouble and make everyone jealous, but then he decided it would probably do more harm than good. It could destroy the tiny, miniscule sense of friendship and brotherhood the two of them still kept for each other, and destroy it for good.

"I know she'll come around," Starscream insisted helplessly. "Maybe you two just have to get to know each other a bit more, that's all."

"I'd love to be pregnant, like you," Skywarp continued tearfully. "I mean, I can only imagine what it's like to experience all the things you did, like the feeling of their sparks beating, the kicking, the realization that you have something alive in you..."

"The purging, the mood swings, the wing pain, the fact that I can't even walk without losing my breath..." Starscream continued. "Say, 'Warp, have you ever felt like a wet cotton ball that leaks fluid wherever it goes?"

"Uh...no, I can't say I have," said Skywarp. "Do you?"

"Unfortunately, yes I do," Starscream replied. "Things are more soaking than ever down in the valve room, at least an astroliter a day for crying out loud. Probably more."

"I thought you only get that when you're, y'know...aroused," said Skywarp.

Starscream shrugged and crossed his ankles casually. "So did I."

"Well, I hope you're okay," Skywarp told him.

"One or two more trips to the wash rack a day and I'm good," Starscream reassured him. "But that's really not all. Like I told you, I've started lactating now and I produce about one dose of energon per day. Not enough to feed a sparkling, or anyone for that matter, but still...ick. And it hurts, too."

"Why? Because you haven't grown into it?"

"No, my spark chamber's big enough now that it doesn't feel cramped anymore." Starscream gestured to his spark chamber, which had grown considerably. "It hurts because it's engorged or something. So much energon...no little ones to feed it to yet. So it just sits there, leaking, which is why I now have to carry napkins everywhere I go."

"Are you all right?" Skywarp asked when Starscream let out a sort of hybrid hiccup-burp.

"Yeah. Just gas, as usual." Starscream rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. "You know what? I think bodies are fucking gross. I mean, I hate to bash Moonbeam or her career, but she chose a line of work where you have to have a strong stomach. I feel like I'm not even in my own body anymore."

"However gross you feel, it's all normal." Skywarp smiled sadly. "That said, I wouldn't really mind being pregnant too someday."

"Trust me, Skywarp, you do _not_ want to be pregnant."

"If it meant I could have a little sparkling of my own, I would," Skywarp insisted, thinking of what it would be like to hold a newborn sparkling in his arms for the first time; see it look up at him with its big, innocent eyes; see it smile at him, maybe even grab his finger...and, without warning, he started to cry.

"Skywarp, please, please don't cry," Starscream begged, wincing as he hoisted himself up and pulled Skywarp to sit next to him, but Skywarp couldn't stop.

"I love Moonbeam so much," Skywarp sobbed, clinging to Starscream. "I just want her to love me, too."

"Moonbeam _does_ love you," Starscream insisted. "She just needs time to realize how much she needs you."

"No she doesn't." Skywarp wiped his eyes. "She deserves better."

 _Oh_ , _if only I wasn't about to have two sparklings_ , Starscream thought to himself bitterly. _I would get that Moonbeam for hurting my brother_ , _and maybe give Thundercracker a good talking-to while I'm at it_.

"Skywarp, anyone would be lucky to have you!" Starscream kept on trying to console Skywarp, but nothing was working. If Starscream didn't do something quickly, his brother was probably going to become hysterical. In fact, Starscream felt a little hysterical himself.

"I just wanted to build her a perfect life, with a great family!" Skywarp was crying harder than ever. "I'm so sad, Starscream. So, so, so sad."

"Listen, 'Warp, if you'll help me off this bed, I can go to the kitchen with you and we can get something to drink," said Starscream. "You can't stay here crying forever."

"I'm not thirsty," said Skywarp, wiping his eyes.

"Well, you need to go flying, at least," Starscream told him. "I can't go with you, but it will cheer you up."

"Okay, I guess." Skywarp shrugged and hopped off the bed; Starscream envied his mobility. Carrying twins was like having two giant water balloons shoved into your stomach, only a lot less comfortable. At almost 33 weeks, they were constantly moving and Starscream was sure their arms and legs were everywhere, dueling it out with each other, fighting over the limited space. Starscream reached out his hand and Skywarp pulled him off the bed. Starscream was trailing behind, panting, as they started to leave for the kitchen, so Skywarp decided to teleport instead. When they got to the kitchen astroseconds later, they couldn't believe their eyes.

There, on the kitchen floor, Gemstone and Moonbeam were fighting each other mercilessly; it seriously looked like they were trying to kill each other. Thundercracker was gone; the femmes were the only ones there.

“What on Earth?” Skywarp cried. “Moonbeam, what do you think you’re—”

Moonbeam screamed as Gemstone bit into her wings, _hard_. At the sound, Thundercracker came running in, too, and he seemed as shocked as his two brothers were.

“How dare you touch a Seeker’s wings, you worthless whore!” Moonbeam screeched, clasping both hands around Gemstone’s neck and squeezing.

“How dare you call me a whore, you stuck-up, sparkless bitch!” Gemstone hollered back, managing to squeeze out of Moonbeam’s clutches.

“It’s funny…” said Moonbeam. “After I texted your name into my data pad, it autocorrected to ‘disgusting slut’.”

“I saw a piece of Ravage’s scrap on the floor this morning,” Gemstone retaliated. “It reminded me of you.”

“Go fuck yourself,” said Moonbeam. “And if you have any friends like you, you can go fuck them too and earn some pocket change.”

“Why don’t you slip into something more comfortable…like a coma?”

“You make me wish I had more middle fingers!”

“Maybe you should eat makeup so you’re pretty on the _inside_!”

“The smartest thing that ever came out of your mouth was a mech’s spike!”

“You’re so evil that when I kill you, Primus will need tongs to toss you into the Pit!” Gemstone shouted, and flipped Moonbeam over. Judging from the black-and-gold Seeker's howl of pain, Gemstone could punch awfully hard.

“Wow, they’re worse than you and Megatron,” Thundercracker whispered to Starscream.

“All right, ladies, that’s _enough_!” said Skywarp, but, in the confusion, he got kicked in the nuts and bolts by Moonbeam.

“You aren’t really dumb enough to try and split up a catfight, are you, Skywarp?” Starscream asked, as the purple jet’s feminine scream lingered in the air for a moment. “I mean, I can win any _dogfight_ …but this is a whole other ball field.”

“Actually, this is kind of…hot,” said Thundercracker.

“H-Hot with pain?” croaked Skywarp. “Because I think that part of me was built to be treated nicer.”

Gemstone seemed to be winning the fight. Taking advantage of Moonbeam’s smaller size, she easily picked her opponent up by the wing and backhanded her right onto the floor again; Moonbeam introduced Gemstone’s face to the bottom of her thruster.

“We should…we should really try to split them up, don’t you think?” Skywarp mumbled, sinking down onto the floor and groaning in pain.

“Gemstone’s obviously winning the fight,” said Starscream, shrugging. “I say let her take out Moonbeam.”

Gemstone, looking furious, lifted a screaming Moonbeam up, then slammed her onto the floor.

“Yeah, my money’s _definitely_ on Gemstone,” Thundercracker agreed.

“Listen, guys, I can’t just sit here and watch my girlfriend get beat up by Thundercracker’s girlfriend!” Skywarp insisted. “Do you realize how bizarre that sounds?”

“What is going _on_ in here?!” they heard someone say as he burst into the room. “What is all this noise I hear?”

“Oh, Megatron, thank Primus!” said Skywarp. “Gemstone is beating up Moonbeam and I’m afraid she’ll beat me up too if I try to stop her! You’ve got to do something!”

“Silence, fool,” said Megatron and, to their surprise, he walked over to the two battling femmes (still trying to kill each other) and lifted them both up, one in each hand.

“Let me down!” shrieked Moonbeam. “I’m going to kill that whore!”

“Like you ever could, you freak!” Gemstone shouted back.

Megatron set them both onto the ground. Skywarp grabbed Moonbeam and Thundercracker grabbed Gemstone; they held them back until the two femmes were too exhausted to fight any more.

“I’m not fixing up those injuries I gave you,” said Moonbeam.

“You’re a lot worse off than I am,” Gemstone snapped.

“Thundercracker, take Gemstone away,” Megatron told the blue jet. “Starscream, Skywarp, Moonbeam, I don’t care where you go, just stay away from the other two.”

“Moonbeam, sweetie, what got into you?” Skywarp asked gently as he wrapped his arms around her. Her wings were bleeding heavily, and she had a deep scowl on her face. She was the loser of the fight, and it was clear she didn’t like it.

“I hate that hooker Thundercracker brought home,” Moonbeam mumbled. “And she hates me.”

“Let’s just head to the med bay and get you fixed up, okay, kissy-wissy?” Skywarp held Moonbeam’s hand and led her out of the main monitor room and down the hall, Starscream following close behind.


	15. What Will Be, Will Be

Everything was pretty much set now. Sparkling toys and supplies were purchased; the "nursery" (really the corner of the Seekers' room) was now completed; Starscream began "harvesting" his lactations into bottles and storing them in the freezer (it would last longer in there, as opposed to the fridge). Everyone was trying to sparkling-proof the base, too; no choking hazards could be on the ground, and nothing that was sharp or dangerous to eat.

Starscream, who had never been so continuously uncomfortable in his life, finally decided to let Skywarp sing to the little twins. Skywarp usually either massaged Starscream's burning, aching wings or his back, depending on which hurt more; other times he would stroke the enormous sparkling-bump that was just getting bigger every day (just when it seemed like there was no more room!). Even though Starscream was 34 weeks along now and experiencing pain in pretty much every part of his body, he just got to lean back on the bed, close his eyes, and relax as he listened to Skywarp's singing:

 

" _Now I have children of my own_

 _They ask their daddy_ : _What will I be_?

 _Will I be handsome_ , _will I be rich_?

 _I tell them tenderly_ :

_Que sera, sera_

_Whatever will be_ , _will be_

 _The future's_ _not ours to see_

 _Que sera_ , _sera"_

 

"I love that song," Starscream whispered as he turned his head to the side, eyes shut. Right now he was propped up on pillows, as usual, and although he'd been achy as always, the singing and rest made him feel a little better. "Where have I heard it before?" 

"Don't you remember? It was the song our mother always sang to us when we were hurt or upset," Skywarp replied gently. "Now you can sing it to _your_ sparklings. Or I can, at least."

"Oh, yes, that's right." Starscream could remember, very vaguely, the time when he was a Seekerling and so were his two brothers, all three of them crammed into one crib; he remembered the way his mother would rock them back and forth every night in her arms until they drifted into stasis; and yes, that was the song Starscream loved her to sing to him. That was what Starscream remembered once, the beauty that was family.

...

It was well past midnight, and Thundercracker was still wide awake. Skywarp and Moonbeam were maintaining their now-shaky relationship, so they were still sleeping in the same room together. Starscream was in a fitful stasis; he wasn't allowed to lie on his front, for fear of squishing the sparklings, but sleeping on his back was painful to him, so sleep did not come easily.

All day long, Thundercracker had been feeling so many things, and none of them did he understand. Part of him wondered what it would be like if Skywarp and Moonbeam split up, and she could be Thundercracker’s girlfriend…but could he do that to Skywarp?

Sure. Why not? Moonbeam was public property. Skywarp didn’t _own_ her.

Thundercracker thought of the fight Moonbeam had with Gemstone about a month ago. That fight had turned him on immensely. For the whole rest of the day he’d been so pressurized he could hardly stand it; finally he convinced Gemstone to have a little fun with him that night to get rid of all that stress.

Watching femmes fight always turned Thundercracker on. Simply put, he liked tough femmes who fought hard when they needed to, like Gemstone did. Moonbeam hadn’t even stood a chance against her.

“Oh, slag, not again…” Thundercracker whispered. There it was again, pressurization. Why? It was weird; Thundercracker hadn’t had Moonbeam on his mind this time. Really, he didn’t know what was on his mind. Something was making his spark beat faster. _Something_. Thundercracker didn’t know what it was or where it came from, but he was suddenly feeling very frisky.

Thundercracker didn’t want just anyone. Moonbeam had been living with them for a very long time now, almost a year, and she still hadn’t shown any sign of interest in him. Was he letting her slip through his fingers? Was it not meant to be between her and Skywarp?

 _I should probably go get Gemstone_ , Thundercracker thought. _Maybe she can help me forget about my beloved Moonbeam again_ …

Thundercracker quietly slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake up Starscream, and made his way to the med bay, where Gemstone slept at night. When he walked in, there she was, sleeping. Her pearly white paint job was reflecting the moonlight, making it shine. There was a peaceful smile on her face as she slept on her side, clinging to the sheets. She didn’t look like a hooker; she looked beautiful.

As he walked over to the repair table where Gemstone slept, Thundercracker felt his spark beating faster again.

“My precious Gemstone,” Thundercracker whispered, stroking her head. She stirred in her sleep, but didn’t open her eyes.

Thundercracker just sat there for a moment, watching Gemstone sleep. For some reason he liked it here. She was good in bed, but they weren’t even _doing_ anything right now and yet he still couldn’t stop looking at her. It was confusing. So confusing.  
  
With a heavy spark, Thundercracker kissed Gemstone atop her head, stood up, and left the room.

...

Skywarp was interacting with Starscream's sparklings again. Later that day, Starscream had another appointment with Moonbeam, to make sure everything was fine. These appointments were becoming more frequent, since the twins would be here very soon. In fact, Moonbeam told Starscream that twins often came early...defined as before 37 weeks. So now Starscream basically felt like there was a bomb ticking inside of him, but he still let out a contented sigh as Skywarp sang the song's second verse:

 

_Then I grew up and fell in love_

_I asked my sweetheart: What lies ahead?_

_Will we have rainbows, day after...?"_

 

Skywarp's voice broke, and he made a little whimpering sort of noise. Starscream grunted with effort as he pulled himself up and looked at the purple jet; he was obviously trying to stop the tears that ran down his face anyway.

"What happened?" said Starscream. "Skywarp?"

"Don't worry about it," Skywarp insisted. "Relax."

"Well, I can't _now_ , can I?" said Starscream. "Now I want to know what's gotten you so upset."

"I couldn't sing the 'rainbows day after day' part." Skywarp wiped his eyes and sniffed. "Moonbeam and I used to have rainbows day after day. Now we don't."

"Did she dump you?"

"Sort of," Skywarp said shakily. "Today I was only trying to give her a kiss, and she just told me she needed a relationship 'break'. Whatever the slag that means."

"Oh," Starscream whispered. "That's harsh."

"I don't even know what she wants from me anymore," Skywarp mumbled. "Sometimes she likes me, sometimes she doesn't. It's impossible for me to know how she really feels. Femmes are a mystery."

"That they are, Skywarp," said Starscream quietly. "That they are."

With that, Starscream managed to sit up all the way (not without some difficulty), took Skywarp into his arms, and finished the song:

 

" _Que sera, sera_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future's not ours to see_

_Que sera, sera_

_What will be, will be_

_Que sera, sera_ "

 

**LATER THAT DAY...**

 

This was the first sparkling appointment with Moonbeam that Skywarp felt he couldn't go to, although he had teleported Starscream there. Starscream understood why his brother didn't want to be around Moonbeam at this time.

"Thanks for the escort service, 'Warp," said Starscream gratefully. "I'll never take walking for granted again."

"I'll be waiting for you outside," Skywarp told him. "Make sure you tell me everything, okay? I want to make sure the twins are still doing fine."

"Don't worry, I'll take note of everything," Starscream promised him as he entered the med bay.

"Wow, you look just about to pop, don't you?" Moonbeam said snidely as she gestured to the repair table. It wasn't easy (in fact, it was almost impossible), but Starscream finally managed to pull himself into a sitting position on top of it. Seriously, this was crazy! It was like he was one giant beach ball, being slowly approached by someone carrying a hunting knife. One stab, and then boom. Everything would explode.

"Wha...what are you going to do t-today?" Starscream wheezed, out of breath. All he did was climb up onto a repair table, yet he felt like he had just run a marathon.

"Well, first of all, take some deep breaths," Moonbeam advised. "Unless you want an inhaler."

Starscream did as he was told and slowed down his breathing, trying to get his spark rate back to normal (it was pumping wildly). "M-Moonbeam, I'm like...huge."

"Considering you're having twins, not really," said Moonbeam. "But before we go on, do you have any questions for me?"

"Not really." Starscream shook his head.

"Is everything fine?" Moonbeam asked. "Nothing seems off? Remember, it's important that you tell me _everything_."

"Well, I am having some sharp pains," Starscream told her nervously. "Does that mean I'm in labor? It doesn't, does it?"

"No, of course not," said Moonbeam. "Where are they? Abdomen?"

"Yes...it's kind of like a tightening feeling."

"Just practice contractions," said Moonbeam lightly. "They get your body ready for the real thing."

"My body will never be ready for true labor," said Starscream uneasily.

"Well, that's not your decision to make, nor mine," Moonbeam told him, her voice a little more serious now. "Your body knows when to do this stuff, even if you don't."

"But what if they're not okay?" Starscream was now glad he carried napkins with him, because he found himself wiping at his eyes.

"That's why today is the day for your physical exam," Moonbeam said. "All we're going to do is make sure nothing's wrong and if it is, we can discuss some ways to solve it."

"But Moonbeam," Starscream protested, but she didn't listen.

"First I have to listen to their sparks." Moonbeam pressed her stethoscope to Starscream's spark chamber. "Now, breathe in and breathe out for me?"

Starscream was controlling his breathing as Moonbeam listened for his twins' spark-beats. She nodded in approval and then began to focus on the sparkling-bump, a pensive look on her pretty face. She pressed her ear to it and smiled as she felt movement. Starscream felt the movement too, of course, so he took another deep breath and tried to stay still so Moonbeam could sense them.

"Good?" asked Starscream.

"Very," said Moonbeam, and lifted up his spark chamber. "Hmm, this thing's coming along quite well. How much do you get per day?"

"About enough for a single dose of energon," Starscream told her. "Enough to fill up one cube. Do you think I made the right decision?"

"To nurse?" said Moonbeam. "In the end it's up to the carrier in my opinion, but nursing is healthier for them and you."

"Well, I'll have something to do with the lactation cable," said Starscream. "Something to use it for."

"Either way, though, everything looks good so far, so just sit still for a moment." Moonbeam reached for one of her test tubes again and a needle.

"What are you doing with _that_ thing?" Starscream asked nervously.

"Your energon levels need to be tested," Moonbeam replied casually, grabbing Starscream's finger. "It's important that you're free of any viruses before childbirth."

"I don't think this is such a good idea," said Starscream. "I do _not_ think needles are a good idea."

"Listen, how many times do I have to keep telling you this?" Moonbeam snapped. "I've helped plenty of carriers before, and I specialize in doctoring Seekers. I even went to a first-rate university in Vos. So you're going to have to trust me, okay?"

"Okay," Starscream mumbled and waited for his horrible CNA test to be over. It seemed like forever, but Moonbeam finally took the needle out of Starscream's finger and collected his energon in her test tube. Starscream felt sick again at the sight.

When the energon was harvested and put away for later analysis, Moonbeam leaned back in her chair and said, "So, their sparks are beating well and they seem to be in good condition. Their heads are facing downwards, which is important. Your lactation cable is fully developed, although it won't produce enough energon until your twins are actually born. You're very close to meeting your sparklings. If you carry them to term, that's only another six weeks."

"Moonbeam?"

"Mm?"

"Have any of your other patients said they felt...y'know, weird?" Starscream asked. "Because I've gone through a lot, much of it unpleasant, and I sometimes feel like a stranger in my own body."

"Don't worry," said Moonbeam. "I know your body's changed a lot in the past 34 weeks, and fast. It can be hard to get used to. After you give birth things won't ever go back completely to your pre-sparkling body, but you'll feel a lot better, especially with two newborns to keep you company."

"Well, I'll be able to move again, at least," said Starscream. "That's good."

"But before we can talk about that, we do need to talk about labor and birth," said Moonbeam. "I've brought many, many sparklings into the world, so you're in good hands."

"I'm not going to be able to do it, Moonbeam."

"Why wouldn't you?" Moonbeam shrugged. "I'm not saying it will be _easy_ , but you can do it."

"Can you explain it, though?" Starscream asked. "I'm not sure exactly...y'know...what's going to be happening to me."

"Well, when somebody's in the family way, the sparkling clings to and feeds off of the carrier's spark," Moonbeam explained. "You look huge like that because although they're connected to your spark, their bodies take up all the room inside you. On the big day, your energon's going to break and you're going to start having contractions. When the sparklings come out it'll be through your valve, and I'll cut the cord that connects them to your spark as soon as they come out."

"How would I manage to do it?" Starscream insisted. "It sounds really painful."

"There will be some discomfort," said Moonbeam calmly. "Still, it's a completely natural process, and there should be no real problems with the birth."

"How long does it take?" Starscream asked.

“Since they’re your first sparklings, it won’t be speedy, probably somewhere from six to sixteen hours.” Moonbeam shrugged. “There’s not really an answer to that question, officially—every pregnancy is different.”

“But how will I know I’m laboring?”

“Your energon might not break right away,” said Moonbeam. “But another way to tell is by getting the contractions. You can wait them out by yourself for a little—watch TV, read a book, etc.—but once you can’t talk through them and especially if your energon breaks, _call me_. Any suspicious pain at all, call me.”

“I feel a lot of pain, all the time,” said Starscream. “In case you haven’t noticed.”

“If something’s out of the ordinary, I meant,” Moonbeam told him. “No matter what, don’t hesitate to call if you think the twins are here, even if it’s just a tiny nagging thought. You’re also more likely to go into labor at night, because you’re more relaxed.”

“All right,” said Starscream. “Thanks, Moonbeam.”

“No problem,” she chirped. Starscream got a good look at her then. She sounded so colloquial, so happy. Didn’t she _know_ she was continuing to hurt Skywarp, who still wouldn’t let go of her? Didn’t she _know_ she was playing hot-and-cold with him? Or did she know, and just not care?

“What are you looking at me like that for, Starscream?” Moonbeam demanded.

“Look, Moonbeam, I really appreciate you helping me with the sparklings and all, but…” Starscream sighed. “Must you be this way with Skywarp? The poor guy is hurt and confused out of his mind about what you want from him.”

“I don’t _want_ anything from him,” Moonbeam snapped. “I’ve just been in this relationship for a long time, and, well…I guess I need some fresh air.”

“That’s kind of insensitive,” said Starscream indignantly.

“Well, it’s how I feel,” Moonbeam told him. “And there’s nothing _you_ can do about it.”

“Moonbeam, I know you think you’re better than everyone else,” Starscream told her angrily. “But you’re not. I don’t appreciate how you’re treating my brother, _or_ your high-and-mighty attitude.”

“Big deal,” she said back. “What are you gonna do about it, huh?”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Starscream glared at her. “I challenge you to a dogfight.”

“Are you nuts?” Moonbeam yelled. “You can’t do that! You could give birth any day now!”

“Fine, then, as soon as I can, we’ll have a dogfight outside,” Starscream snapped.

“You’re on!” Moonbeam shouted.

“May the best Seeker win,” said Starscream calmly. “And I think we both know who _that_ is.”


	16. Emergency

**LATER THAT DAY...**

"She basically told me that I'd be getting contractions...and that my energon would break...stuff like that." Starscream sighed. "She told me I'd be able to have the sparklings, but how could I do it? How could _anyone_ do it?"

"With practice." Skywarp smiled.

"What?"

"Well, after you told me what you and Moonbeam talked about in your sparkling appointment earlier today, I thought maybe you should be prepared," said Skywarp. "So I figure we could...y'know...practice pushing."

"Moonbeam didn't say what that was going to be like," Starscream admitted. "But I don't know what it's like. So how are we going to practice?"

"I've seen it on TV a couple times," Skywarp offered. 

Starscream looked toward his bed. "I really don't know."

"Come on, at least give it a try!" Skywarp begged. "I don't want you going in cold."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Starscream demanded, but Skywarp didn't listen as he dragged his brother over to the bed.

"Okay, now what was it?" Skywarp asked. 

"My energon breaks." Starscream crossed his arms and gave Skywarp an annoyed look.

"So first pretend that happened."

Starscream blushed a little, but gasped dramatically and looked downwards. "Oh my gosh! Look at all that, um..." Starscream realized he had no idea what it would look like when it actually happened.

"Birth fluids!" yelped Skywarp. "Oh noes! We have to get you to the med bay!"

"Sweet Primus!" Starscream cried in fake pain. "It hurts so much!"

Skywarp arranged the pillows on Starscream's bed and then forced him to lay down. "Okay, time for the sparklings to come out!"

"No!" cried Starscream, but that was when their practice kind of hit a wall. Now that Starscream was "in the med bay", what would they do?

"I think, um..." Skywarp tapped on his chin. "I think you're supposed to do this..."

"Hey!" Starscream was startled when Skywarp grabbed his knees and forced them apart.

"Just spread your legs so the sparklings have enough room to come out," said Skywarp. "Okay, now this..."

Skywarp grabbed a pillow from his bed and shoved it in between Starscream's legs.

"What are you doing?!" Starscream demanded. "Get away from me!"

"Those are the sparklings," Skywarp explained.

"Why are they there if I haven't pushed them out yet?"

"Maybe they're only halfway out and I have to pull while you keep pushing."

"You're insane!" said Starscream. "What if you pulled their heads off? I'm not doing it!"

"Just what kind of talk is that?" Skywarp demanded. "Push!"

Starscream tried valiantly to do a fake push, grunting and straining, but of course nothing happened except a little snap of pain slightly above his waist. "Ow..."

"Take a deep breath first," said Skywarp, not taking his hands off of Starscream's knees. "In...out...push!"

"OW!" Starscream howled as he felt another pain, this one sharper.

"Ooh, good one!" Skywarp said happily, clapping.

"NO! I didn't do it on purpose!" Starscream took a deep breath or two and leaned back onto the pillows. "Okay, let's try this again."

"Right." Skywarp nodded. "One...two...three..."

"Push," they said at the same time. Skywarp was reminding Starscream about controlled breathing ("blow! blow!") and Starscream was trying to imagine what it would be like to actually push, even though to be honest he didn't even know what he was supposed to do; he figured this would come naturally on the Big Day, and for now he was just kind of flexing his stomach and butt muscles at the same time.

"Hnnngghhh...!" Right now one of Starscream's hands was on his very pregnant stomach while the other maintained a death-grip on his bedsheets.  

"Do it like you're expelling gas!" Skywarp cried in a moment of apparent epiphany. "Jet fuel!"

"WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT?!" Starscream screeched. "SWEET PRIMUS!"

"What?!" Skywarp sounded startled.

"It _hurts_!" Starscream whined, feeling the minor pain manifesting itself near the lower end of his cockpit.

"It's not supposed to REALLY hurt yet!" Skywarp looked worried. "I'm sorry if I hurt you!"

"Maybe we're doing it wrong." Starscream took a few deep breaths again and looked down, although he couldn't see anything over his swollen midsection. "I think real pushing is based more on the...on the...on the CONTRACTIONS! OHHHH!"

"Speak to me, brother!" Skywarp cried. "Speak!"

Starscream was brought to his hands and knees as he landed on the bed, teeth clenched in pain. "GET THE MEDIC, YOU FOOL!"

 _Oh no_. _Oh no_. _Oh no_. Starscream kept repeating this in his mind as he collapsed helplessly onto the bed. Skywarp's stupid practice pushing brought him into early labor. Now he was going to have to push for real and he didn't know what it would be like or if he could even do it. There were no pains for the five minutes that Skywarp was fetching Moonbeam, but just before they walked into the room the worst contraction of all so far hit Starscream hard. Oh Primus. He was in labor. He was _actually in labor_. Starscream's breath sped up in panic as the contraction hit its peak.

Starscream was laying sideways on the bed, clutching his stomach and moaning, when Skywarp and Moonbeam burst in. Skywarp was holding some buckets of water; Moonbeam had fresh towels, a hospital gown, and sterilized gloves.

"Oh Primus, oh Primus..." Starscream was repeating to himself in between hyperventilation as he lay on the bed, shaking and shivering. "Help me..."

Skywarp looked frightened but Moonbeam calmly sat down on the bed next to Starscream and started rubbing his back. "Calm down, Starscream. Don't panic. Everything's going to be okay. Just breathe."

"Moonbeam, I'm gonna die," Starscream moaned. "We're all gonna die!"

"You're fine," Moonbeam whispered, stroking one of his wings. "Has your energon broken yet?"

"I don't think so." Skywarp answered for Starscream.

"Doesn't look like it," said Moonbeam. "What were you two idiots doing, anyway?"

"We were practicing," said Skywarp sheepishly.

"Practicing _what_ , dare I ask?"

"Pushing," said Skywarp. "We pretended he was having the sparklings, and I was the labor coach."

"Are you nuts?!" said Moonbeam. "You need to ask your medic before you do something like that! I'm serious. You could have really hurt him, especially in his fragile state."

"I _am_ hurt," Starscream groaned, his breathing not slowing down.

"Listen, you have to relax," said Moonbeam, turning her attention to Starscream. "This will be a lot more painful if you're tense. When was the last pain? How long did it last?"

"Just before you came in," Starscream told her. "Maybe...ten seconds? I guess?"

"That's a five-minute interval, just about," said Moonbeam. "You've still got a lot of time to kill, but if your contractions are only five minutes apart they should be more like thirty seconds long. Just tell me when you have another. You can still talk through them, right?"

"Yes," Starscream told her. Together, she and Skywarp were able to lay him back down on the bed. Moonbeam had him turn slightly to his left side on the bed and helped him slow down his breathing. It was eight or maybe nine minutes until Starscream felt another pain, this time about twenty seconds long; then, three minutes later, a contraction lasting forty seconds but almost painless. After that, with Starscream still turned on his side and focusing on his breathing, they didn't get anything again for another twenty minutes.

Moonbeam looked puzzled. "Do you mind if I check something real quick?"

"What?" said Starscream, hugging his pillow.

"Your dilation," Moonbeam replied. "I need to check your progress."

"Well...okay." Starscream had to remove the bottom part of his armor for this, but (as she reminded him) he would've had to do that anyway eventually. Moonbeam, with her gloves on, tested dilation with her fingers while Skywarp held Starscream's hand. This had to mean _something_ was wrong...

"Just as I thought," said Moonbeam, standing up. "I'm sorry, but you're not in labor."

"What?" said Skywarp as Starscream put his armor back on.

"Well, I couldn't even get one finger in," said Moonbeam, "and your contractions have been very irregular. You mistook your practice contractions for the real thing. And as for your breathing, you were just having a panic attack."

"Oh." Starscream's cheeks turned red and he looked downwards. "That was...but it felt so...I'm sorry for bothering you, Moonbeam."

"Don't worry," said Moonbeam, sitting down next to him. "I can't even tell you how many times I've seen it before. I mean, you're ready to have your sparkling, you're a little scared but excited too, you might get a little paranoid. Some carriers never recognize their labor until they're pretty deep in, and others see every little thing as a sign that their sparkling is coming. You did the right thing."

"I'm sorry," Starscream repeated, wiping his eyes.

"Don't be," Skywarp soothed as he gave Starscream a big hug.

"And my advice hasn't changed," said Moonbeam. "Even after this, if you think the sparklings are here, just let me know. I'd rather you have false labor again than go into real labor without letting me know."

"Okay, thanks, Moonbeam," said Starscream quietly, staring down at his lap. Skywarp watched Moonbeam gather up the medical supplies and prepare to walk out.

"I've got to talk to her," he whispered. "This has gone on for too long. I want her back."

"So go talk to her," said Starscream absently, still not looking at Skywarp, still awash in disappointment.

"Moonbeam, wait!" Skywarp called as he chased her out into the hallway.

"Skywarp?" Moonbeam sounded surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I love you!" Skywarp cried out. "I need you in my life. Special femmes like you just don't come around every day!"

“Skywarp…” Moonbeam closed her eyes and turned her head away. “I just don’t—”

To be sure, he had been planning on exerting some dignity, but when Skywarp heard the sound of his lover’s voice about to tell him no for good, he dropped to his knees and stared up at her, tears flowing from his eyes.

“Please take me back, Moonbeam!” he begged. “Please! I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you, I really will. Just give me another chance! I would give away my spark to hold you once again. Just don’t let our love end.”

“Now _that_ ’ _s_ the way to grovel,” said Moonbeam, and a grin spread across her face. “All right, sugar daddy, I’ll have you back…but we must do something _really_ special. By that I do NOT mean interfacing—we have to go somewhere fancy and nice.”

“Anything your beautiful spark desires, my beautiful goddess,” Skywarp told her, lifting her up in the air. “I love you.”

…

Megatron was walking down the hall to the Seekers’ room. When he reached the door, he found that it was locked. This was strange, but it wasn’t a problem; he simply overrode the code and let himself in. It paid to be the boss sometimes.

Starscream was alone, laying on his bed, both hands over his sparklings. The very pregnant Seeker was looking confused, like he was about to behold a miracle but had no idea how to deal with it. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Megatron thought he saw tears shimmering in Starscream’s eyes.

“What are you doing, Starscream?” Megatron asked.

Jumping in surprise at the sound of Megatron’s voice, Starscream looked up to glare at the gray mech but then continued his sulking.

“What do you want?” he mumbled.

“I hear you had quite an event yesterday,” said Megatron, coming over and sitting next to Starscream on the bed.

“You shut your mouth!” Starscream shouted.

“What’s your malfunction?” Megatron snapped.

“Leave me alone, Megatron,” said Starscream, his voice cracking slightly. “I don’t want to be talking to ANYONE, much less you.”

“You didn’t lose them, Starscream,” said Megatron matter-of-factly. “You’re just going to have to wait a little longer.”

“I don’t want to wait a little longer!” Starscream turned to his side and scrunched his eyes shut. “I don’t get it. I feel like I want them to come out right now, but then when I thought it was actually happening I went into a panic and the sparklings could have stayed inside me forever if it meant I didn’t have to deliver. But then when I realized that I wasn’t laboring, I was so disappointed. What’s wrong with me?”

Megatron shrugged. “I think you’re a first-time carrier.”

“What?” Starscream glared at him.

“It’s possible to feel terrified and excited at the same time,” Megatron told him. “You just don’t know what it’s going to be like to give birth and what it’s going to be like to take care of two newborns. I’m new to this too. I just don’t have to shove two sparklings out of my body.”

“And you didn’t have to be pregnant,” said Starscream. “Having two sparklings inside me just wipes me out. I haven’t felt like my old self in quite some time now.”

“You will soon, when the twins are born,” Megatron reminded him, gently placing his hand on Starscream’s cockpit and stroking the swollen area, smiling slightly when he felt movement. “Restless, aren’t they.”

“Actually…I’ve noticed that they’re always more active when you’re around,” said Starscream truthfully, the familiar feeling of being sad with no reason overwhelming him again. “Remember? You were there when they first kicked.”

Megatron’s eyes were sharp and he noticed a little bit of wet in the corner of Starscream’s eyes. Starscream just felt like crying even more when Megatron wiped it away with his thumb.

“Maybe they know their sire,” Megatron said quietly, trailing one finger up, around Starscream’s spark chamber, and then back down to the sparkling-bump again. The look in his eyes was obscure, but it seemed almost like he was seeing his actual children, not just the part of anatomy that housed them.

Starscream looked into Megatron’s eyes and when their eyes met, Megatron wordlessly brushed Starscream’s cheek with the side of his hand. Was Megatron actually trying to comfort Starscream? Like he had never done ONCE before? Well, if he was, it wasn’t working. It just made Starscream feel weak.

“Why—why are you even doing this?” Starscream mumbled, helplessly wiping at his eyes. _Stop_! _Stop crying_! Why did he always have to cry when Megatron was around? It was humiliating!

“What?” said Megatron, looking up.

“I’m not going to lie to you…not today.” Starscream’s tears might not have been flowing out yet, but he couldn’t stop his words from doing so. “I feel awful. I feel disgusting! I want to fly like everybody else! Or at least be able to walk! I KNOW I’m not attractive to you anymore, so why don’t you just go away and leave me to rust?!”

“Don’t put words into my mouth,” said Megatron sharply. “I never said _once_ that you’re any less attractive to me.”

“Maybe you didn’t SAY it!” cried Starscream. “But I lost my perfect frame, many months ago!”

“Listen to yourself!” said Megatron. “You can have it again, once the sparklings get here. I don’t think you look fat. I think you look like someone who’s thirty-something weeks pregnant with twins. And for spark’s sake, that’s what you ARE.”

“But Megatron—”

“Let me finish,” said Megatron. Being strong, he was able to pull Starscream to a sitting position, and as he spoke he put one hand on the sparkling-bump, the other on Starscream’s aft. “I’m always going to think your body is perfect. I can’t help it.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Megatron does not lie,” said Megatron. “Well…he does to humans and Autobots. But never to someone he cares about.”

Starscream pictured himself in the med bay, screaming until his voice gave out, trying to have his sparklings. How could anyone ever do that? Whoever invented the Transformers, how could they put a carrier through this nightmare?

“There’s no _way_ I could have a sparkling,” Starscream whined, leaning into Megatron’s chassis.

“Nonsense,” said Megatron, still moving one ebony hand around on top of the sparklings, pausing whenever he felt them move. Just watching, and feeling their reaction to the attention, Starscream felt hot tears running down his cheeks.

“What if something goes _wrong_?” he insisted. “What if one dies or something?”

“Moonbeam is a good medic with a lot of practice,” Megatron told him. “I think that can be prevented.”

“But she _hates_ me!”

“Do you honestly think,” said Megatron scornfully, “that any hatred she has towards you will deliberately keep her from delivering the sparklings safely?”

“Well, I suppose not.” Starscream sniffed and stared down at the floor. “It’s just…I hate the feeling of not being able to control this.”

“Some of this is out of your control, yes, but you can control how you’re going to deal with it,” said Megatron. “Think about that.”

“How I’m going to deal with pushing something alive out of my body?” said Starscream, feeling his eyes well up with fresh tears. “You didn’t see me yesterday, Megatron. I went into a full-blown panic attack.”

“Well, that seems about the worst thing you can do,” said Megatron.

“I don’t think you could ever understand,” said Starscream. By now he was staring up at the ceiling, trying to keep his tears in his eyes, but he was losing that battle; they slid down his cheeks anyway. “The only contribution _you_ made was coercing me into ‘facing, which I’m sure you loved.”

“Starscream, you can never tell when a parent’s contribution stops,” said Megatron. But by now Starscream had pretty much dissolved into tears, tasting the unpleasant mixture of saltwater and spit in his mouth and on his lips, not being able to control how he acted or how he felt, remembering how Megatron told him that tears never solve anything.

“I’m sorry…” was all he could get out.

“Starscream, look at me,” said Megatron, his hand on Starscream’s shoulder. Starscream’s hands were over his face and his head was turned away, but at Megatron’s voice he removed his hands and looked upwards.

“What?” said Starscream shakily.

“I’ll be there, as will the medic, and we’ll make sure our sparklings arrive safely,” Megatron said gently.

“Well, I still don’t—wait a minute.” Starscream paused. “Did you just say ‘ _our_ sparklings’?”

Megatron’s crimson gaze drifted down to Starscream’s sparkling-bump. “I guess I did.”

“But you said you didn’t want them,” Starscream said sadly.

“I know what I said.” Megatron sighed. “I don’t think I ever meant it in my spark.”

“What do you mean?” Starscream asked, confused.

“How could I say I didn’t want them after I watched the sonogram?” said Megatron. “How could I say I didn’t want them after I felt them kick for the first time? After I watched everything you went through, everything we did to get ready, and then you tell me that they’re more active when I’m around…” Megatron shook his head. “They’re yours and mine alone, Starscream. We created two sentient beings, two sentient Decepticons. Who knows who they will grow up to be? What they’ll be able to achieve? I want to be a part of that.”

“Megatron…” Starscream sniffed. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“I can guess, my beautiful one,” Megatron said, his voice deep and low.

Starscream thought he was going to cry again for a minute, but then he put both his hands on top of the sparklings again, right where Megatron’s hand already was. The little twins kicked again—almost forcefully—and when Megatron felt it, he gently squeezed Starscream’s hand.

“It’s crazy,” Starscream whispered, his spark racing with so many emotions. “I can’t believe I’m so close to giving birth.”

Megatron still kept his hand on the sparkling-bump for a moment, rubbing it thoughtfully, almost lovingly; then he bent down and gave his future offspring a kiss.

“But every time a sparkling is born, so is a family.” Megatron took Starscream’s chin in his hands and drew his lover even closer, planting a soft, quick kiss on the lips.

Starscream was shocked. No finger-fucking? No handcuffs? No indecent exposure? Instead…a gentle kiss? Starscream wasn’t really in the mood for ‘facing, anyway, but Megatron typically preferred to be sexual, not romantic. Starscream felt tears running down his face again as he let those strong, battle-hardened arms hold him tight, and he didn’t know if they were sad tears or happy tears. Maybe both. Megatron’s kiss had been respectful, almost sweet, inviting Starscream to try again. Could it be that they were finally falling in love?

Starscream wrapped his arms around Megatron’s neck and resumed the kiss, a long and loving kiss that they both wished could last forever.


	17. Legacy

**SEVERAL DAYS LATER…**

Starscream awoke groggily. As usual, his practice contractions had awoken him in the middle of the night. For a few moments he groped blindly around the area, but finally he located his glasses and looked at the glowing red clock on his nightstand. It was 3:45. Too early to be conscious, too early to be soaked with lubricant in which used to be a very intimate place, too early to be kicked by twins, so hard that it seemed like they were mad at him. For _what_? They should be thankful that he was their host body for 35 weeks!

“Please, stop…” Starscream whispered. “Mommy wants to sleep…just this once…”

To be honest, he didn’t know if he was saying this to the sparklings or just to his achy body in general; he’d been awakened by a sharp pain in his back that had soon gone away, but just as soon as he was about to go back to sleep, another pain came, also in his back. Why? Moonbeam had informed him that sometimes these pains came from malnutrition, or because he’d been straining himself, but he had certainly been getting enough nourishment, and how could he have been straining himself? For spark’s sake, he couldn’t even move!

But he had heard that moving positions could ease practice pains, at least a little, so he moved from his back to his left side. Several minutes later, he was rewarded with a pain in his side, like he’d just been out running (yeah right), and then another one in his back.

“Slag…” Starscream cursed quietly. _Just ignore them_ , he reminded himself. If he ignored his pains, they would go away. Starscream turned on his side again, wishing he could go get a drink or something, maybe walk around, anything, but every time he tried to get out of bed he fell down again, exhausted with the effort. On his next try, he was suddenly struck with a sharp pain, stronger than those that preceded it, hitting him in his front and his back; he let out a scream, loud enough to wake his sleeping brother up.

“What the fuck, Screamer?” said Thundercracker, still half-asleep. “Be quiet! Why are you even awake?”

“I don’t _want_ to be!” Starscream whined.

“Neither do I,” said Thundercracker, “so stop keeping me awake.”

“TC, these pains, what’s wrong with me?” Starscream cried. The pain had passed for now, but he was still lying curled up in his bed like a sparkling, clinging to the covers.

“Pains?” Thundercracker sat up.

“Yes.” Starscream nodded and clenched his teeth as a mild but stinging pain lingered, then faded away. “Pains. I hate being pregnant!”

“Maybe it’s the sparklings,” Thundercracker suggested. “Maybe they’re, y’know…ready to come out.”

“That can’t be!” Starscream told him. “It’s not time yet!”

“Moonbeam said twins can come early,” Thundercracker reminded him. “Makes sense to me. I imagine that eventually, the mother’s body just can’t take it any longer.”

“Yeah, well, you’re right.” Starscream scowled at Thundercracker; he didn’t know the _half_ of it! “My body can’t take it any longer.”

Thundercracker raised one eyebrow. “And…?”

“No way,” said Starscream. “Besides, my energon hasn’t broken yet.”

“Does it _need_ to?”

“Um…yes, of course,” Starscream replied, but he suddenly felt uncertain. _Did_ his energon have to break before he could start having contractions? They might have elaborated on it more, but Starscream didn’t feel like it; he just shook his head, took off his glasses, and lay down again in bed. They were silent for a bit, when Starscream got hit by the worst pain of all. It felt like he’d been kneed in the back. Before he could stop it, another scream escaped his mouth, partly because of the shock and partly because of the pain. It was enough to make Thundercracker get out of bed and come running over.

“Starscream,” he said. “Starscream, are you okay?”

“No! I haven’t been okay for a long time!” Starscream yelled.

“Do you need to go to the med bay?”

“I told you, I don’t,” Starscream told him. Thirty seconds had passed; so had the pain.

“You shouldn’t just stay in bed waiting for your pains, though,” said Thundercracker. “Why don’t you go to the wash racks or something?”

“I can’t _move_ , remember?” Starscream whined. “I can’t go anywhere!”

“I’ll help you,” Thundercracker said reluctantly. It wasn’t clear whether he actually wanted to help Starscream or if he just wanted him to shut up and get gone, but either way, he was somehow able to hoist Starscream up and out of bed; he threw Starscream’s arm around his shoulders and took him to the wash racks, which were right outside the Seekers’ room. They stumbled on the twins’ crib in the darkness, but eventually made it there in time.

Starscream was shaking and shivering a little by the time they got there, and Thundercracker was sort of worried, but oh well. Maybe he was just cold. The blue jet helped his brother off with his armor, and headed off to bed for some luxurious sleep of his own.

Meanwhile, Starscream stepped carefully into the shower and turned the water on full blast, at a very hot temperature. Heat was supposed to help pain; surely they would go away now, just as they always did. Starscream gave his lower body a once-over, hating how he had to hold onto the shower bar to keep from falling over, how unsteady, how ungraceful he felt…Even after 35 weeks, Starscream wasn’t used to the way his body looked now, and he knew that he wouldn’t snap right back into pre-sparkling mode when they came out. It would be weeks before his body readjusted to non-pregnancy mode, and even then he would never go back to his old frame completely.

Getting an eyeful of his appearance was even worse without his armor. Who knew he would get so fat? That he would be in so much pain every day? That he would keep having all these disgusting side effects that made him feel like a freak? Just some more lovely gifts from the Pregnancy Fairy, he supposed. Starscream wanted her head. Bad. Did anyone ever ask him if he wanted to be a Mommy? Did he want to be a Mommy? No, and NO!

 _Oh_ , _Primus_ … _oh sweet Primus_ …More pain…Starscream sat down on the shower seat, trying not to black out. _Just ignore it_ … _just ignore it_ …It was getting harder to ignore it.

Starscream spent a good hour in the wash racks, but that was partly because around the forty-five minute mark, he had a pain that brought him to his hands and knees and soon into a fetal position on the shower floor (pure coincidence). It felt like a giant hand was tightly squeezing his insides, clenching, releasing, clenching, releasing…That feeling had never happened before. Starscream tried to sense his sparklings, feeling for their heads, arms, legs, something, but it seemed like his sparkling-bump had fallen between his legs now. Starscream was screaming bloody murder, not hearing anything, seeing anything, not knowing anything but this sudden agony.

Next thing you know the shower curtain had been swept aside and Moonbeam came rushing in, Thundercracker not far behind her. With his help, she lifted him up, and they carried him back over to the bed. Thundercracker was ready with a towel to wipe the hot water off, and when Starscream was dry, Moonbeam slipped a pink hospital gown over his head. Thundercracker tied it in the back.

“Well, Starscream,” said Moonbeam. “Looks like you’re going to go into labor squeaky clean.”

“I heard you making all that commotion in the wash racks while I was trying to sleep,” Thundercracker added. “I figured that even if you weren’t laboring, you probably needed _some_ kind of medical attention.”

“Thank you,” Starscream mumbled.

“Here, don’t forget these,” said Thundercracker, placing Starscream’s glasses on his head. The world became clear again. Moonbeam was looking calm, the way she always did in medical situations. Thundercracker was looking concerned.

“Moonbeam,” said Starscream quietly, shakily. “It hurts.”

“I know.” Moonbeam gently stroked Starscream’s drooping wing. “Now, come on, let’s get you to the birthing area, all right?”

Starscream leaned on Thundercracker most of the way there; he was lucky to have him. Whenever Seekers were in pain, they almost always cried out for their Trine members, first and foremost, and as for Seeker births, it was considered treachery if the mother’s Trine members did not attend (assuming, of course, that they were alive and able). The theory went that if the Trine members were there, it would make the birth go faster, as well as help all the members of the Trine bond with the new sparkling…or sparklings.

As she walked ahead of Thundercracker down the hallway, Moonbeam called Skywarp on her com. link.

“Kissy-wissy?” Skywarp mumbled sleepily. “Where are you? Are you still in bed with me?”

“No, you idiot,” said Moonbeam. “I’m on my way to the birthing area, and you’re about to become an uncle. Get Megatron, and the both of you head on over to the med bay. Is that too much for you to handle?”

“At this hour? Probably.” Thundercracker rolled his eyes.

“Megatron?” said Starscream.

“Well, he _is_ the sire,” Moonbeam pointed out matter-of-factly. “If he doesn’t want to stay, he can leave.”

Starscream nodded; he knew he shouldn’t care whether or not Megatron stayed in the med bay during the birth, but a part of him knew that he would feel disappointed if he didn’t. Nevertheless, he kept going, Thundercracker helping him along, Moonbeam walking ahead of them, leading the way.

“Moonbeam, get them out,” Starscream begged. Now it was his hips hurting as well as his back and abdomen, and even his legs and feet a little bit.

“I’m sorry, Starscream, but it’s going to be quite a long time until you get the go-to for pushing,” said Moonbeam. “I don’t even know how dilated you are yet.”

“This is going to be impossible…” Starscream wondered how he’d managed to not burst into tears so far, but when they got to the birthing area, they found Skywarp and Megatron standing there, as well as Gemstone (who slept in the med bay).

Starscream finally broke down when he saw Megatron slowly, almost timidly offer his hand. Obviously, the birth of the sparklings was making him tense, and he was probably trying to be supportive, in his own Megatron way. Oh, how Starscream wanted to rush into his arms and cling to him and cry. But he knew that was not acceptable, and it would never be acceptable. Starscream turned away and fell into Thundercracker’s unsuspecting arms instead.

“Starscream!” Skywarp cried, rushing over to them—well, he tried to, but he crashed into the repair table instead. Rubbing his aft and walking over, he asked, “Are you okay?”

“DO I LOOK OKAY?!” Starscream screeched. “The sparklings are KILLING me!”

“Someone wake Gemstone up!” said Thundercracker. “Starscream needs the bed.”

“No time!” said Moonbeam. “Just put her on the floor!”

“Moonbeam—” said Thundercracker.

“Doctor’s orders,” Moonbeam replied, and pointed at Skywarp. “Do it, sugar daddy. I didn’t say you had to do it _forcefully_.”

“Whatever you wish, kissy-wissy.” Skywarp set Gemstone down on the ground, where she could sleep in peace. Unfortunately, there would be no more peace for everyone else for a long time.

Starscream was starting to get annoyed at Moonbeam’s calm, but she was the medic, so she was as professional as ever when she told him, “I can’t imagine this is a pleasant feeling, and I know it’s hard, but…you’re just going to have to wait.”

“Wait for wha—oh scrap, here come the sparklings!” Starscream cried. This was a serious, for-real contraction. It gave Starscream both that tightening, squeezing feeling and a certain amount of pressure around his lower hips. “Moonbeam, they’re gonna come out now!”

“No they aren’t,” Moonbeam soothed. “Relax.”

“YOU relax!” Starscream sobbed.

“What’s going to happen next?” Skywarp asked, looking frightened as he chewed his fingers.

“I haven’t had a sparkling myself,” Moonbeam told him, “but my patients have described it as simply the worst pain _ever_.”

“It’s like something’s trying to squish me!” Starscream was doubled over in pain, wailing, but by now he could only talk between contractions, not through them.

“Come on, Starscream,” said Moonbeam, taking his wrist. “Do you want to walk around a little?”

“Why do you want him to do that?” asked Skywarp. “I thought he was having sparklings.”

“When he’s walking around, gravity is on his side,” Moonbeam explained. “It’s easier for the sparklings to come out this way.”

“Yeah, only how is he going to get two sparklings out at the same time?” Skywarp still looked rather nerve-wracked, as if he was the one having the contractions. “I mean, one sparkling is one thing, but if there were two wouldn’t they get stuck?”

“The sparklings don’t come out at the _exact_ same time, stupid,” said Moonbeam, rolling her eyes. “But don’t worry Screamer, you’ll only have to labor once.”

“I-I think I’ll…I’ll walk,” Starscream said breathlessly. “Would it really help?”

“Absolutely,” Moonbeam told him. “Just try to pace around a little. If you get tired you can always lean on something like a wall, or a person.”

Starscream began to pace around the room unsteadily, just like Moonbeam suggested, stopping every few minutes to get ahold of himself.

“What are you doing with that?” Starscream asked, leaning on a wall as he saw Moonbeam take out what looked like a stopwatch.

“Tell me when you feel your contractions,” she instructed him. “I’m going to time them.”

“B-But I…” Starscream accidentally smacked his head on the wall and fell down onto his knees as he felt a mixture of warm lubricant and raw energon running down his legs. If he was correct, his meant his energon had just broken, and his labor had officially started. Starscream gripped his forehead, which was still smarting from when he had knocked it into the wall, trying to ignore the unsavory feeling of being covered in sticky liquid as his eyes burned with tears. This was _humiliating_! Starscream tried to get up, but felt more back labor and stayed put.

“Get some towels, Skywarp!” Moonbeam commanded. Skywarp teleported out of the room and came back with a soft, fluffy pink towel in his hands. Moonbeam shouted at him that they were going to need more than one, and as her boyfriend disappeared again, she hurried back over to Starscream and tugged on his hand. Starscream was just thankful that someone had picked him up. They all heard a banging and the sound of running feet. Skywarp popped back into the room and handed Moonbeam all of their towels.

“Can I still walk around?” Starscream asked, chewing his fingers.

“Do whatever you want,” said Moonbeam, taking Starscream’s fingers out of his mouth.

Halfway across the room, Starscream collapsed and screamed, “SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

This one was _bad_. Starscream just stayed on his knees, shocked by the amount of pain this contraction brought him. Before long, Moonbeam had her hands on his shoulders, rocking him back and forth until his pain slowly subsided. Moonbeam quickly checked him for dilation.

“Four centimeters,” she said. “Almost five.”

“I don’t want to walk anymore,” said Starscream. It was extremely challenging to get up, but she helped him, and they went back to the bed.

“That’s fine,” Moonbeam replied. “The most important thing right now is to do what works best for you, whatever makes this a little bit more comfortable. You might have to try out a few positions before you find something.”

“But I don’t know any!” Starscream cried.

“Several patients of mine have found it a little more comforting to stand while someone else holds them up,” Moonbeam suggested. “That way you can be vertical without worrying about supporting your own weight. Wanna try it?”

“Try ANYTHING,” Starscream moaned as he felt another one coming. Moonbeam slipped her forearms under his armpits and let him relax a little, but her frame, tiny even for a lightweight, collapsed under the combined weight of Starscream and his two sparklings. They were on the ground now, Moonbeam looking a little embarrassed, Starscream on the verge of tears, waiting for it to pass.

“Here,” someone said shortly, and Starscream recognized the voice as Megatron’s. It was very easy for him to hold Starscream up, even though each sparkling weighed at least 400 pounds each. They stayed like that for a time, with Starscream gasping and choking in his semi-standing position as his contractions worsened, Megatron holding him up without straining himself.

“Th-thanks,” Starscream whispered during a five-minute break.

“They’re my sparklings too,” Megatron whispered back, his hot breath making Starscream feel soft and secure for a moment. As yet another contraction tore through his body, Starscream leaned his head against Megatron’s chassis and groaned. Megatron didn’t seem wore out, but Starscream felt exhausted. Slowly he sunk a little farther down into the squatting position and started squirming. Not knowing what else to do, Megatron set him down and went to stand by the bed. Moonbeam rushed over and led him back as well, then placed some soft pillows underneath his back and wings.

“Don’t lay flat on your back,” she said and, after checking again for dilation (6 cm), she turned him onto his left side. “That’s one of the worst positions in which to give birth.”

“I can’t DO this!” was Starscream’s only reply. Moonbeam had to grab his hand to keep him from biting his fingers again. It took another hour or two until Starscream unknowingly turned onto his back again and screeched something incomprehensible.

“Eight centimeters,” Moonbeam announced. Starscream of course did not hear her; he couldn’t stand it anymore. The only thought going through his head was that this was impossible, and he was convinced that labor would _never_ end. The contractions were practically on top of each other now, hardly allowing poor Starscream a word in edgewise. Every time a pain faded away, the beginnings of a new one would arrive. And they weren’t just pains. They were sadistic monster pains. Starscream missed that feeling of being squeezed he had earlier. It had been placed by a feeling of being clawed apart by wild dogs. It was in every single one of his sensor nodes.

Moonbeam was holding tightly onto Starscream’s right arm, while Skywarp held his left; Starscream was howling in pure agony. Tears were still running down his cheeks; his glasses had been removed for the sake of safety; the contractions, about a million times worse than they were when he first started laboring, could last for up to ninety seconds, with as small as a minute’s space in between. Starscream knew, because Moonbeam was still timing them. To be honest, he still didn’t understand why, but he couldn’t ask, because if he tried to talk during a contraction, all he could get out was a little choking noise.

“Think of something else, Starscream,” Skywarp whispered. “Something happy!”

“Like— _what_?” Starscream grunted.

“Flying, maybe.” Skywarp shrugged. “It always makes _me_ feel happy.”

“I HAVEN’T BEEN FLYING IN THREE MONTHS!” Starscream hollered. Skywarp nimbly dodged his fist.

“Imagine yourself ruling the Decepticons!” Skywarp said happily. “You’ve got your cape…your crown…lots of admirers…”

“If it distracts you, I’d have to say I’m all for it,” Moonbeam added. “Just imagine that you’re in a setting that makes you feel safe and relaxed.”

Skywarp’s purple hand held Starscream’s sky-blue one and squeezed it while Starscream tried to picture himself as ruler of all Decepticons. Yes, there he was, cape flying addressing the millions of Decepticons below him worshipping him below…yes, because he was on a platform, in fact they were building a _statue_ for him…

Or maybe he was in the world’s scratchiest, ugliest hospital gown, with no control over his painful, disgusting body or whatever the fuck it was doing, on a horrible cold metal repair bed, foolish for actually thinking that he could distract himself from this.

“It’s no use,” Starscream moaned. “I’m here no matter what.”

“Here, try this,” said Thundercracker, and grabbed one of Moonbeam’s medical tools off the counter. “Just focus on this, okay?”

“Why should I?” Starscream snapped.

“I think if you focus really hard on just one inane thing, you can mentally block out your sensor nodes, maybe,” said Thundercracker. “Stare at it… _stare_ at it.”

“That doesn’t work!” said Starscream. “I don’t have my GLASSES, remember?!”

“You _can_ ’ _t_ wear your glasses, because they could break,” said Moonbeam.

Starscream gripped Skywarp’s hand tighter and clenched his teeth together, making soft whimpering sounds as he did so. Before, Starscream had worried that he would look stupid, moaning and moving around constantly like he was in some sort of trance. But now that trance had struck him and he didn’t know the meaning of stupid.

“It hurts so bad,” he repeated, moments before going into another contraction. It was a miracle that his vocals didn’t break the windows and light fixtures. One or two more minutes passed quicker than Starscream wanted, and Moonbeam clicked her stopwatch, releasing Starscream’s arm and letting him scream his way through another contraction, this one no less than ninety torturous seconds long.

Moonbeam was annoying Starscream with her stupid stopwatch. Even the short breaks between the contractions were painful; Starscream’s stomach turned and he found himself vomiting. Skywarp started to cry, and Moonbeam told him to wipe it up with the towels.

“What?” she yelled. “You’ve never seen upchuck before?”

Skywarp messily did his best. Starscream let out a hybrid howl-moan as he felt another hard, particularly devastating wave of sparkling pain coming on. It must have been pretty loud, because that was when Gemstone finally woke up.

“Where am I?” she mumbled, rubbing her head. “Why am I on the floor?”

“Gemstone, you’re awake,” said Thundercracker, walking over to her and hoisting her up.

“M-Morning already?” Gemstone yawned and rubbed her eyes.

“Well, no, it’s more like the afternoon,” said Thundercracker.

“Why?” Gemstone asked. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t think I can put this lightly,” said Thundercracker, “but Starscream’s twins are being born, and you just happened to be sleeping in the med bay this morning when we brought him in—around four in the morning.”

“Wow! Really?” Gemstone dashed to the bed. “This is so great!”

“No! It’s h-horrible!” Starscream chocked, offering a second opinion.

“You don’t mean that, do you?” sobbed poor Skywarp.

Starscream tried to say _something_ —he didn’t know what—but it ended in just another involuntary wail. Oh sweet Primus, things were only getting worse. Thundercracker grabbed Starscream’s hand (not so much for comfort, but mainly to keep him from gnawing his fingers off). How in the Pit was this physically _possible_? Starscream had EIGHT HUNDRED pounds of solid metal inside his body, working on coming out, and there was nothing he could do to get it to stop paining him. The contractions kept coming, pain after blinding pain, and Starscream just tried not to black out.

“Just hang in there, Starscream,” said Moonbeam.

Sitting up straight in bed and howling, Starscream reached his arms up to Megatron, who reluctantly picked him up. Of course, he didn’t _want_ to, but maybe this would be over with sooner if he did. Instantly he regretted it when he felt himself being clawed by Starscream. Not only that, but now his hands were soaked in birth fluids. Oh well. It felt a little gross, to be honest, but it was natural. Megatron winced as he suddenly felt raw energon leaking out of his left shoulder blade. Maybe he hadn’t noticed it before, but Starscream sure had some sharp teeth.

“Megatron, I-I…” Starscream’s voice was blocked by another contraction. Megatron sighed. It was just as he’d predicted. Starscream was too feeble for a difficult labor. There were so many Transformers, as well as other living beings in general, who had been born this exact same way. So how could it possibly be so hard? (Of course, Megatron knew better than to say this out loud, because Starscream wouldn’t find it difficult at all to throw a fist at him.)

“Come on, let’s get you down,” said Megatron softly, setting Starscream down back onto the bed, partly because he could tell that holding him like this wasn’t working, and partly because he was tired of being scratched, pinched or squeezed whenever Starscream felt pain coming on. Starscream barely reacted to the new positioning; he just wailed even louder. Megatron looked annoyed and a little impatient, but Moonbeam sensed that he was trying to hide the worry of a new sire.

“This is a beautiful moment, Starscream,” said Skywarp, wiping his eyes (not out of happiness, but out of fear), but Starscream just swatted blindly at his clueless brother because the twins’ creation day sure didn’t feel beautiful. Every stretch, pull and tear was apparent and the only thought in Starscream’s mind was that he was going to die, and…well, actually, dying didn’t sound so bad right now.

“Moonbeam—I have to—I…” Starscream felt like his hips were going to fall off as he struggled with his body. Not only was there pain, but it felt like something was pressing down on him. In his mind he had been sort of keeping track of his contractions and had been able to predict when they were coming. But when his break was longer than usual, he got thrown off course, and nearly broke under the sparklings’ weight.

“Don’t do that now, Starscream,” Moonbeam warned him all of a sudden. “I know it’s hard, but you’re not quite there yet.”

“What?” Starscream wasn’t sure what she was talking about.

“Feel like you need to push?” Moonbeam clarified.

Starscream hadn’t recognized the feeling before. But now that she mentioned it…

“Maybe.” Starscream winced and felt a little tug of an urge. Before he could stop it, an image came into his mind of a sparkling, trying to force its way out of his body, yelling at him to push it out already!

“I said don’t push,” said Moonbeam, a little more strictly this time. “You aren’t dilated enough. If you’re going to push, you have to be at ten, and you’re only at nine.”

“So you’re—you’re basically telling me to hold them in?!” Starscream said, shocked.

“For now, yes,” said Moonbeam. “You’re most likely going to feel it on your contractions. But don’t let yourself do it.”

Starscream was dreading his contractions even more now, but he was also filled with fear—he’d heard plenty of horror stories about pushing, and they were probably well-deserved. Each sparkling was so big compared to his birth canal and valve. How would they get out? What if they _couldn_ ’ _t_ get out? Another contraction cut into his worries, and he found that the pushy feeling was a little stronger this time. Starscream leaned forward and clenched his teeth, eyes closed; Moonbeam held out her hand and shook her head. _Don_ ’ _t_.

Starscream managed to make it through that one without doing any pushing, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold them in for much longer. On his next contraction the urge hit him again, this time quite significantly. That squeezing feeling was back, only it was adding more pressure than pain this time.

“Focus on your breathing,” Moonbeam told him. “In and out. Like you’re blowing out a candle.”

“Or sneezing,” Skywarp suggested.

“No, ‘Warp, it’s nothing like that,” said Moonbeam.

“She’s right, Screamer.” Thundercracker placed his arm behind Starscream’s back. “Pretend they’re your sparklings’ birthday candles.”

This made Starscream smile, at least for a little bit, and it worked. Thundercracker held his hand while he focused on countering his urges. It got worse. Moonbeam was waiting, Skywarp next to her. Thundercracker was still holding Starscream's hand. Starscream couldn't shake the image of the first sparkling inside of him, trying to get out of his body. 

Starscream was having trouble with his blowing/breathing as his mind focused more and more on how much he wanted to push. Even though he felt silly, Thundercracker ended up doing the breathing exercises too, just so Starscream would be able to follow along. 

"Moonbeam, I think they're ready now," Starscream moaned desperately, but Moonbeam shook her head. 

"Just follow me, remember?" Thundercracker said, continuing his breathing. In, out, in, out. It was like torture, but finally, Moonbeam announced that Starscream no longer needed to fight it.

“Okay, listen up, Starscream,” said Moonbeam. “You’re going to work on pushing the first sparkling out now. After he’s born, you’ll stay dilated enough for the second one to come out. You’ll still have to push, but the second one takes a lot less time than the first. You’re going to make it out alive.”

“Starscream! Did you hear?” Skywarp asked, but to Starscream his voice sounded far away; he was squeezing Thundercracker’s hand so hard that the blue jet was wincing in pain; his other hand was clenching onto the side of the repair table, almost hard enough to leave dents; he was trying so hard to deal with the impossible amount of stabbing pain and pressure he felt on his abdomen, back and hips. It didn’t feel like he was giving birth to a sparkling; it felt like he was giving birth to a planet.

“Focus on your sparklings, Starscream,” Moonbeam was saying. “Birthing takes concentration.”

“That is a lot messier than I thought it would be,” Skywarp said nervously.

“Well, you do know part of the pregnancy weight is raw energon and lube,” said Moonbeam.

“No, I didn’t know that,” said Megatron. “And I don’t think I needed to.”

“That’s what medics do,” Gemstone was heard saying. “They work with gross things.”

What the fuck?! How many people were staring at his private regions now, anyway? Did they have no sense of modesty? The medic was one thing, but he didn’t need a slagging audience.

“Shut up, you idiots!” Starscream told them, sounding perfectly logical to himself but to the rest of the room he sounded like a lunatic.

“Listen, you really shouldn’t be flat on your back like this,” Moonbeam replied. “Why don’t we try something that might feel a little better?”

“Like what?” asked Thundercracker, letting go of Starscream’s hand.

“Hmm…” Moonbeam shrugged and pulled her rolling spinny chair over. “Sit here.”

Thundercracker helped Starscream out of bed and he sat backwards on the chair. It felt a little better on his back. Gemstone massaged his wings while he pushed through the contractions.

“Remember, your body’s not your enemy, Screamer,” Thundercracker reminded him, patting his wing. Starscream wondered what he meant by this until he realized his body was still giving him that pushy feeling. Why not just _let_ his body help him?

Starscream leaned his head on the backrest of the chair, hugging it tight, and breathed deeply into his pushes. It sounded like he was panting, the way you do after a long, long run, but the better he was breathing, the better the sparklings were breathing, too. Skywarp had the decency to rub his back a little, which felt amazing.

“Keep at it, Starscream,” said Moonbeam. “Remember, with each and every push your sparklings are closer to being out.”

“That much closer to meeting you,” Skywarp added, and the encouragement this provided was monumental.

After some time the urges got stronger, enveloping Starscream’s entire body. Soon enough he felt a need to change positions; he found himself crouching by the side of the bed in a squatting sort of position, plenty of towels underneath him, using Earth’s strong gravity to his advantage. When he concentrated, he felt the sparkling move with each push—after that he started to push harder, eventually letting his body take complete control. There was some tension, and even more pressure, but the contractions had been so much worse. Now he knew the first sparkling was on his way out and the end was in sight.

Since he was starting to have trouble holding himself up, Starscream reached out one hand and Megatron grabbed it, interlacing his fingers through Starscream’s, while Starscream threw his other arm up on top of the bed. Even though he’d been trying to remain calm throughout this whole thing (which was taking much longer than he was expecting, by the way), Megatron couldn’t help but feel a little bit of pity for the Seeker who was delivering his sparklings. _Look at that amount of effort_ , he thought; he had never seen Starscream so fixated on one thing, his eyes shut tight in exertion, his jaw clenched, breathing hard.

“Keep pushing,” he said quietly, kneeling down so that they were eye-level. “Almost there, Starscream.”

Starscream was still as vocal as ever, alternating between screams and moans. Right now, he looked like he was in the pain of his life, and he had been. But the truth was, this was starting to feel sort of…good. Pushing was almost a relief compared to what he’d been feeling before.

“That’s perfect, Starscream!” someone said. It sounded like Gemstone’s voice, but Starscream was focusing on his sparklings right now. Besides, he knew he was doing it right—this feeling was telling him so.

As time passed, Starscream instinctively spread his legs a little wider, still squatting on the ground, and felt some real pain again. It was similar to the feeling he got when his valve had first been stretched—when he was first spiked (by Megatron). Not to mention that was the first time he’d bled during interfacing. By now his valve was stinging and burning a lot, and he squeezed Megatron’s hand tighter.

“Lean your head back, Starscream,” said Moonbeam, placing one small black hand on Starscream’s forehead, the other on the inside of his thigh. “Your sparkling is crowning.”

“It’s crowning?” Thundercracker asked. “As in, you can see its head?”

“Yes,” said Moonbeam seriously. “Breathe, Starscream, breathe.”

Starscream tried to instill the technique he’d been using earlier—BREATHE, push, BREATHE, push, BREATHE, push…Moonbeam waited patiently, kneeling on the floor next to Starscream. One hand was on his upper back, between his shoulder blades, and the other on his hip. Even though the burning was getting worse, Starscream continued on and after about fifteen more minutes of pushing, the first sparkling finally emerged.

Moonbeam cut and clamped the sparkling’s cord and then wrapped him in a towel. Maybe it was because he was the sparkling’s sire, or maybe it was simply because he was the closest nearby, but Moonbeam thrust the little bundle in Megatron’s arms. As the new sire tried to recover from shock and at the same time focus on not dropping the screaming sparkling on its head, Moonbeam went back to helping Starscream, this time with Twin Number Two.

“Did that one have wings?” Skywarp asked. “I didn’t see.”

“No,” said Megatron. “So the next one will.”

“How do you know?” said Moonbeam.

“I saw the sonogram, that’s how I know,” Megatron replied, tentatively adjusting the sparkling in his arms.

“Wouldn’t wings hurt coming out?” Gemstone asked. “I mean…those things look sharp.”

“Only very slightly,” Moonbeam told her. “Seekerlings come out with their wings downwards, and they don’t perk up until they’re a few days old. So basically, this sparkling will have a little obstruction, but nothing abnormal or particularly more painful. Besides, we Seekers have been giving birth for billions of years. If all of them can tolerate it, so can Starscream.”

“It—it doesn’t matter,” Starscream said; he was just so happy to be getting a Seekerling. As soon as the first sparkling was out, the second one started making its way into the world. Starscream didn’t think the pushy feeling could get more overwhelming, but it did, so he continued to wail as Twin Number Two steadily moved down and out. It took only two pushes for the sparkling to crown; it burned like fire, but Starscream wanted to meet the sparkling ASAP.

The Seekerling didn’t come out as fast as the first; as with most Seekerlings, the wings had to be adjusted once or twice, and when it got to that point where the wings were wider than the head’s circumference, it took a bit of extra force, but Starscream’s body was built for that. It was a lot easier with everyone cheering him on. Moonbeam seemed to be taking care of everything simultaneously, keeping things successfully under control as she helped guide the second sparkling out. Even though she and Starscream didn’t generally get along, even he felt like she should win an award for her performance today.

But Starscream was about to get an award of his own—well, two, to be exact.

The pain from the Seekerling’s wings was sharp and stinging, but with a few more pushes they were out. Another two, and the sparkling’s body was out. Moonbeam did the same as she had with the first sparkling—cut the cord, wrapped it up to keep it warm and comfy—but this time she carefully set it in Starscream’s arms. Starscream fell out of his squatting position and sighed with relief; his first instinct was to put one hand underneath the little bundle and hold it against his shoulder, hugging it close like it was a part of him—after all, it _was_ a part of him. Starscream could still feel its spark beating in time with his.

“You’ve got yourself two little mechs,” said Moonbeam. “Give them a warm welcome.”

“Starscream,” said Skywarp tearfully, coming over to sit next to his brother and two nephews. “The Seekerling—he looks just like you.”

Twin Number Two did look exactly like his Mommy. Same black helmet, red-and-white wings, bright blue forearms. The sparkling was crying, a lot, his little blue hands balled into fists. Starscream estimated his wingspan was only about a foot or two long.

“Oh, he’s so beautiful, Starscream,” Gemstone whispered.

“Can’t I hold the first one too?” Starscream asked.

Megatron nodded and handed over the other sparkling, who turned out to be just as perfect; he looked more like his sire, with his shiny silver body and black hands. Megatron was no longer the only Decepticon to have that infamous bucket head. Both of them were crying so much. Starscream rocked them, telling them not to cry, they would be okay.

“Someone hand me my glasses,” Starscream said shakily. “I want to see them for real.”

“No problem,” said Thundercracker, and handed them over.

Once Starscream could see properly, the look of wonder and amazement on Starscream’s face became only more pronounced.

“Oh, Megatron, they’re so perfect,” Starscream whispered, kissing each little helmet over and over again. “I would do it all over again in a _spark_ - _beat_.”

Starscream still had a little bit of vomit on his chest (luckily, the majority of it had just landed on the hospital gown), and there were dirty towels everywhere. The bed and the floor both were soaked with lubricant and raw energon, and so were Starscream and the sparklings. In fact, the whole area was a mess. But the cleaning could wait. Right now, nothing was more important than bonding with two healthy new sparklings.

“I hate to be a killjoy, but we forgot something important,” said Moonbeam. “They need designations.”

Megatron took both twins from Starscream and held them up. “They shall be named Megatronus I and II—in order to carry on my legacy.”

“Get over yourself!” Starscream reached out his arms, grabbing for them back. “They should both be named after me!”

“Over my dead body!” Megatron yelled.

“That can be arranged,” Starscream said nastily.

“Don’t you two _ever_ stop fighting?” Moonbeam sounded exasperated. “That doesn’t even make sense. Just name one of them Megatron Jr., and the other Starscream Jr.”

“Yeah, only that’s too long,” said Gemstone, as Megatron set the sparklings back into Starscream’s arms. “The first one should be named Megs, and the second should be Stars.”

“Actually, that’s kind of cute,” said Thundercracker, slipping his arm around her waist. “Good job, hon.”

“Stars and Megs it is, then.” Starscream smiled. “I like it.”

“Um, Starscream?” Skywarp stammered. “Is it okay if I…y’know…?”

“Of course,” Starscream laughed. Skywarp reached out and Starscream let him hold Stars.

“Welcome to our world, Stars,” he said, holding the Seekerling close, tears running down his cheeks. “I-I’m your Uncle Skywarp. You and your brother are even better than I thought you would be. I will _always_ be here to sparkling-sit.”

Meanwhile, Gemstone and Thundercracker got to hold Megs. Thundercracker held Megs in his palm. Gemstone tickled him, and he let out a tiny happy baby giggle. Then both sparklings were handed back to Starscream. Before long, they had both drifted off into peaceful stasis, their large sparkling eyes shut tight, their breathing soft and steady.

Starscream cradled both sparklings in his arms and held them close to his chassis, so that they could feel his spark beating again and know that he was still there and always would be. For the past 35 weeks or so, they had felt and been comforted by the sound of his spark-beat every day, and it was where they felt safest. The bond hadn’t broken at all. Stars reached out both sky-blue arms and snuggled Starscream’s thumb, his wings twitching a little in his sleep.

“I’m so tired,” Starscream mumbled, yawning as he pulled the sparklings closer. “Why am I so tired?”

“Well, it’s 2:30 in the afternoon,” said Gemstone. “That was near eleven hours of childbirth.”

Starscream’s wings had perked up immediately when Moonbeam had handed him the sparklings, and they were drifting into their normal appearance as he continued to fuss over them, with Skywarp, Thundercracker and Gemstone hovering around, doing the same.

Megatron, meanwhile, was still kneeling by the side of the bed, one hand on his knee, the other behind Starscream’s back. The look on his face was serious as he watched his sparklings sleep, but he looked up when he heard Moonbeam’s voice.

“They’re your sons, too, y’know.” Moonbeam smirked. “I think you can show some sentiment for once.”

“Sentiment is for Autobots,” Megatron reminded her as he stood up. “But I am pleased to see that my offspring arrived safely.”

“Although not without some difficulty on the mommy’s part.”

“Well, as they say, no pain, no gain,” said Megatron.

“As you know, I’m a general practitioner,” Moonbeam told him. “But delivering sparklings has always been my favorite job.”

“Why is that?” Megatron asked.

“It’s the only time I’m helping a patient with something good and natural,” Moonbeam replied. “And then, when I let the carrier hold the sparkling for the first time? I can see love, amazement, disbelief, all in one glance. It’s priceless.”

 


	18. Newborns

**ONE WEEK LATER…**

The little twins lived in the Seekers’ room, so they didn’t give Thundercracker and Starscream much rest at night. They apparently preferred to eat at random intervals throughout the night, and if they weren’t, they were always screaming about _something_. It was like living with a pair of tiny howler monkeys.

“Attention, Starscream,” Thundercracker grouched, as they heard one—no, both—of the little twins wake up, screaming. “The Terrible Two wants you again.”

With all the energy and life of a zombie, Starscream dragged himself out of the bed for the tenth time that night and trudged over to the sparklings’ crib. “You take Megs, I’ll take Stars.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have a nursing cable spewing energon, Starscream.”

“You know perfectly well that I keep bottles in the freezer, TC,” Starscream snapped. “Do you need a map to the kitchen?”

“Yeah, um, that’s kind of gross,” said Thundercracker.

“My lactation is gross?” Starscream glared at him and flicked open the top part of his cockpit, just like he had been doing every day and every night since the twins were born.

“When a sparkling throws it back up all over you, yes it is,” Thundercracker replied.

“Oh, you poor thing,” said Starscream sarcastically, looking around for something to hit him with. “Listen, I can only feed one at a time and if you don’t help, Megs will have to wait and be hungry. That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Since when did you ever care if things are fair or not?” Thundercracker lifted up his head.

“Go get a bottle and give your own slagging nephew his nourishment!” Starscream bent down and scooped his Seekerling out of the crib. “I command you to.”

“Fine, fine,” Thundercracker groaned, and headed to the kitchen.

After he left, Starscream sat down with Stars on the bed and held him, one hand behind his back, the other underneath his head. The newborn was still fussing, and apparently was refusing to eat, so Starscream stood up again, pacing around the room, gently bouncing him up and down.

“Please…” he whispered, stroking the sparkling’s wings. “It’s time to eat, okay?”

Starscream sighed. How stupid was he? Newborns couldn’t understand words. Making sure to be gentle, he nudged Stars’ head upwards and snuggled him a little closer. Finally, with a little more prodding, the sparkling latched on and Starscream was able to take him back to the bed again.

Now that he was eating, Stars looked a lot more peaceful, but it was kind of a weird thing to get used to. The sparklings seemed to want to eat all the time, and with two, that could be a nightmare. Starscream spent a lot of his time filling bottles, too, whenever the supply in the freezer was low (which happened quite often, considering the fact that they ate all day long). This was the most healthful option the twins had, but it was hard to comprehend how Starscream himself managed to survive.

It seemed like every hour of the day he was tied to the kitchen table or the couch or his bed, literally attached to a sparkling, barking orders at everyone else to do things he used to be able to take care of himself. Not to mention, it felt a little awkward to do it while everybody else was watching. Wasn’t it supposed to be private, between him and the sparkling? Eventually, using the lactation cable made him feel tired, and he might have been about to nod off, but the sound of his room door slamming woke him right up.

“Sparklings are so much work!” Thundercracker complained, banging into the room with wailing Megs in his left arm, the bottle in his right hand. “Late-night feedings, diaper duty, their screaming, spit-up—I am NEVER going to have a sparkling!”

“Oh, and we mustn’t forget Megatron’s contribution,” said Starscream sarcastically. “NOTHING.”

“What do you mean?” said Thundercracker.

“Megatron isn’t helping me out at _all_ with these little monsters, that’s what I mean.” Starscream adjusted the sparkling in his arms. “I have to feed them at the table every morning, trying to keep my eyes open, while he just sits there sipping on a cube of high-grade—which I wasn’t allowed to have for 35 WEEKS and still can’t have because apparently it’s bad if you’re nursing—just reading his newspaper app on his data pad like the whole world revolves around him! My wings STILL are sore, and I can’t even go out flying because the sparklings need my attention every single minute. You’d think I’d catch a break with these creatures every so often, but NO! Their own SIRE won’t even help with them! Can you believe it?”

“Yes,” said Thundercracker.

“Well, I’m sick of it,” Starscream told him. “I wish he would just—”

“Hey!” Thundercracker yelled as Megs did a loud squeal and knocked the bottle out of his hand and onto the floor, and then started screaming. Hearing his brother’s wails, Stars chimed in, and soon both of the sparklings were crying.

“No!” said Starscream desperately. Not after all the time it took him to latch on…

“What do you _want_ from us?!” Thundercracker demanded, trying to get Megs to shut up, but he wouldn’t. Then, they both heard the door opening, and the sound of a familiar voice.

“Do you two need some help?” Skywarp was smiling as he walked inside. This whole past week, Skywarp routinely checked in on the sparklings and their caretakers in the Seekers’ room. Most people knew Skywarp to be kind of childish and dumb, but as it turns out, he was extremely good with sparklings. There was just something about their Uncle Skywarp that made the twins feel so much more at peace with the world.

“Skywarp!” Starscream and Thundercracker cried at the same time.

“Thank Primus you’re here,” Starscream said. “They’ve been going on like this forever. I don’t know what to do.”

“Did you try singing to them?” Skywarp asked.

“Oh, it just makes me feel so silly,” Starscream told him. “I’m not really the type of person who likes to sing.”

“Well, it’s worth a try,” said Skywarp. “TC, bring Megs over here, will you?”

Looking exhausted, Thundercracker brought the older twin over and handed him to Starscream.

“Hold them close, so they can feel your spark beating,” Skywarp told him. Starscream nodded, shut his cockpit, and held the little twins to his spark chamber, while Skywarp started singing again:

 

_When I was just a little boy_

_I asked my mother_ , _what will I be_?

 _Will I be handsome_ , _will I be rich_?

 _Here_ ’ _s what she said to me_ :

 

 _Que sera_ , _sera_

 _Whatever will be_ , _will be_

 _The future_ ’ _s not ours to see_

 _Que sera_ , _sera_

Skywarp kept singing. When baby Stars finally started to calm down, Starscream opened up his cockpit again and the sparkling latched soon enough; Thundercracker picked up Megs’ bottle from the floor and fed him the rest of it. Once they’d finished all their nourishment and drifted into stasis again, Starscream got up and set them gently in their crib, one after the other, and kissed them goodnight.

“You know, for creatures that are basically just 400 pounds of drooling, barfing, screaming metal, they’re not so bad,” Starscream whispered, walking back to the rest of his Trine.

“How do you do that, Skywarp?” Thundercracker asked.

Skywarp shrugged. “I guess I’m just a natural.”

…

Thundercracker, Gemstone, Moonbeam and Skywarp were at the kitchen table, having some breakfast energon. Moonbeam was flirtatiously feeding some energon pudding to Skywarp. Gemstone looked like she was about to throw up.

“Moonbeam, Skywarp can eat his own pudding just fine,” she said angrily.

“Shut the slag up,” said Moonbeam, sticking another spoonful of the treat into Skywarp’s mouth.

“Well, y’know, Moonbeam’s right,” said Thundercracker thoughtfully. “Gemstone? Do you need some help eating your pudding?”

“I’ll share,” Skywarp told her, pushing the container over. “It’s fresh and yummy.”

“Oh, okay,” said Gemstone, and Thundercracker could’ve sworn she was blushing. She tried not to have a giggle fit while Thundercracker fed her the pudding.

Not long after, an exhausted-looking Starscream staggered into the room, trying to balance the screaming sparklings in one arm while holding their diaper bag in the other. His chassis and shoulders were covered in what looked like spit-up, and his wings were drooping. Both of the sparklings were fussing and squirming. Megs kicked Starscream in the chin. When Starscream got to the kitchen table, he collapsed into one of the chairs, letting his head land on the table with a clunk.

“Here, let me take those little darlings,” said Skywarp, quickly lifting both twins out of Starscream’s lap and proceeding to change their dirty diapers. “Did you feed them, Starscream?”

“I fed them about forty-five minutes ago,” Starscream mumbled. “So they should be getting hungry again. I don’t know why something so small needs so much energon.”

“We’ll feed them so you can rest,” Skywarp said comfortingly as he finished the diapers.

“I’ll feed one,” Gemstone offered, taking Megs out of Skywarp’s arms. “Oh, they’re so incredibly cute.”

Gemstone took two bottles out of the freezer and handed one to Skywarp. Gemstone gently rocked Megs back and forth in her arms until he stopped crying; Skywarp did the same with Stars. Finally they were calm again, reaching their tiny arms out and cooing for attention. Sparklings at that age could be adorable when they wanted to, what with their tiny arms and legs, heads that seemed far too big for their little bodies, and those gigantic, innocent eyes.

Not to mention, of course, the chirping and squealing and laughter and the joy they brought their parents in general. When you thought of what a miracle they really were—especially when it was naptime and they were quiet—it was easier to forget the dirty diapers, screaming, tantrums, biting, fights and messes that came along with parenthood.

“You really are good with sparklings, Skywarp,” Gemstone observed. “The twins just love you.”

“It seems like Megatron doesn’t love them,” Starscream groaned, lifting his head up off the table for a moment, but then letting it land back down.

“What do you mean?” Gemstone asked.

“Megatron is a horrible Daddy,” said Starscream, his voice getting louder and angrier with every word. “When I was pregnant, he didn’t seem to care about what I was going through. Now that they’re born, he NEVER feeds them their bottles, NEVER changes their diapers, never even HOLDS them! That son-of-a-glitch never does ANYTHING!”

“You know…maybe you two weren’t ready for twins,” Thundercracker said carefully.

“Well, they _were_ an accident,” Starscream reminded him.

“I think they were a happy accident,” said Skywarp. “Look how adorable they are.”

“Look how tiny they are,” Gemstone added, kissing Megs’ shiny silver head.

“Look how innocent they are,” said Thundercracker.

“Look how…miraculous they are.” This came from Starscream, who was exhaustedly reaching his hands out for them. “Give me back my babies.”


	19. Dogfight

Starscream was sitting on the couch, alone in the living room, with the TV as background noise. Both sparklings were snuggled in his arms. Stars, having just finished eating, was sleeping tranquilly in Starscream’s left arm; Megs was still eating in his right.

It was a quiet, peaceful day. Birds were chirping outside, and the sun was shining. Starscream had come to enjoy this bonding time with his sparklings, and he fed both of them himself when he could. There was something about using the lactation cable that made all three of them feel more relaxed. More time had passed, and Starscream was getting better at it.

Of course, he would never go completely back to “normal”, but he didn’t mind so much, and even if he didn’t have his pre-sparkling body, he was adjusting to non-pregnancy mode, with the nursing helping it go quicker.

Stars did a little yawn and turned over, then placed one small blue hand on Starscream’s lower cockpit and snuggled up to Starscream in his sleep, his little wings twitching slightly. Goodness, his spark was beating so fast. Watching both of his sparklings, Starscream wondered how he ever could have thought, for one second, that he didn’t want them. They _were_ perfect, slaggit, no matter what anyone else ever said! They were his little gifts from Primus. Every time he looked at them, Starscream felt something he’d never felt before for anyone—strength, unconditional love, the desire to protect.

After all, his function wasn’t just to shove them out of his body, or to be a walking cafeteria—he _was_ those things, but he was also their Mommy. They were completely helpless beings who relied solely on him for care, support, and love. If they were ever hurt, or sick, or hungry, or needed him in any other way, he had to be there for them, and he gladly would be. There was no way he would ever let anything happen to them.

“Mommy loves you so much,” said Starscream, bending down and kissing both helmets. “Don’t ever forget that.”

Stars, still in the crook of Starscream’s left arm, grabbed Starscream’s left hand and snuggled his fingers, making Starscream laugh, just as he realized he had tears in his eyes too. What was wrong with him? The sparklings were already born; he shouldn’t be having mood swings anymore. But they were so sweet…

“Who left the TV on?!” yelled Skywarp suddenly, running into the living room, but he froze when he saw Starscream with the sparklings. “Oh—sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Starscream told him, smiling. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.” Skywarp walked over to the couch and sat down next to Starscream. “I can take Stars off your hands if you want.”

“Skywarp, he’s my son,” Starscream replied. “I’m not bothered by him.”

“But I _want_ to hold him!” Skywarp protested.

“Well, okay, but don’t wake him up,” said Starscream, and Skywarp gently took the little one into his arms. Starscream didn’t mind holding Stars, but it was true that it was easier to feed Megs now. Just like it was recommended, he put one hand underneath Megs’ back, the other underneath his head, and lifted him so he’d have easier access to the lactation cable.

“Megs was hungry, wasn’t he?” said Skywarp finally.

“They’re always hungry,” Starscream laughed.

“Did you feed Stars yet?” Skywarp asked.

“Yes.” Starscream looked over and smiled at sleeping Stars. “I guess he’s in a food coma.”

“How do you do that without running out?” said Skywarp, looking disbelieving.

“Are you kidding?” said Starscream. “I have enough of this stuff to feed Megatron’s entire army.”

“Does it hurt?” said Skywarp.

“Maybe I’d get a little sore,” Starscream replied. “But mostly no, it doesn’t hurt, not usually. It feels kind of…relaxing. Not to mention how close it makes me feel with them.”

“Yes, you do seem to be getting more comfortable with it,” said Skywarp.

“It’s good that I’m a Seeker myself, or else we would have had to give Stars his energon some other way,” Starscream added.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s an ingredient in sparkling energon that Seekerlings need to reach their full potential,” Starscream told him. “Groundlings don’t need it, but they wouldn’t be able to produce it, either.”

“So how are you able to feed a groundling, then?” Skywarp asked.

“Seekerlings need extra ingredients, not different ingredients,” Starscream replied. “But I don’t have to worry about that.”

“I had no idea,” said Skywarp, fascinated.

“This is Biology 101, ‘Warp,” Starscream told him. “You should know this.”

“I didn’t major in Biology like you did!” Skywarp protested. “In fact, I failed it.”

“No, this is the kind of thing we learned in Seeker School, in health class,” said Starscream.

“Oh,” said Skywarp. “But anyway, I wanted to say that you yourself look better too,” said Skywarp.

“Better?”

“Well, I know it takes a bit of time for your body to adjust after you have sparklings,” Skywarp explained. “So I guess you must have been pretty tired at first. But now you look great.”

“Thank you,” said Starscream. “I feel great, too.”

“I’m sure you do.” Skywarp smiled. “You could win a dogfight again for sure.”

 _Dogfight_ …that word rang a bell in Starscream’s head. It reminded him of something…something important…but what?

_“Moonbeam, I know you think you’re better than everyone else,” Starscream told her angrily. “But you’re not. I don’t appreciate how you’re treating my brother,_ _or_ _your high-and-mighty attitude.”_

_“Big deal,” she said back. “What are you gonna do about it, huh?”_

_“I’ll be the judge of that.” Starscream glared at her. “I challenge you to a dogfight.”_

_“Are you nuts?” Moonbeam yelled. “You can’t do that! You could give birth any day now!”_

_“Fine, then, as soon as I can, we’ll have a dogfight outside,” Starscream snapped._

_“You’re on!” Moonbeam shouted._

_“May the best Seeker win,” said Starscream calmly. “And I think we both know who _that__ _is.”_

That was right. Starscream had challenged Moonbeam to a dogfight.

…

Starscream walked into the med bay, glad to finally catch Moonbeam alone, without Skywarp clinging to her side. Megs was resting in his arms and Stars, as he had taken to doing lately, was hovering in the air, making little squealing and chirping sounds. Stars didn’t even know how to roll over yet, but his Seeker instincts had already kicked in.

“What do you want now, Starscream?” Moonbeam asked. The tone of her voice made it clear that she didn’t want to waste her time on him.

“I believe I have promised you something,” Starscream replied. “Do you remember?”

“You couldn’t keep a promise for scrap,” Moonbeam sassed. “What could you possibly be referring to?”

Starscream grinned. “I challenged you to a dogfight.”

“Your arrogance is showing, Screamer,” Moonbeam said flatly.

“So you’re throwing in the towel?” Starscream taunted. “I knew you’d see reason.”

“I’m a Seeker too, you know,” Moonbeam told him angrily. “So I’ll accept your little challenge—and I am going to win.”

“You’re going to eat those words, Moonbeam,” said Starscream. “Flying is what I’m good at.”

“Let’s go, then, big-shot,” said Moonbeam sarcastically. “You, me, outside—right now!”

“Works for me,” Starscream replied, walking out of the med bay, Moonbeam angrily following behind.

When they got to the main monitor room, Skywarp looked up, noticed the look on Moonbeam’s face, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, sugar daddy,” Moonbeam said stonily. “Starscream just challenged me to a dogfight, and I’ve accepted his challenge.”

“No bets refused,” said Starscream.

“My money’s on Starscream,” Thundercracker blurted out.

“Oh yeah?” Skywarp stuck his nose in the air. “Well, _my_ money’s on Moonbeam.”

Of course, if he hadn’t been in love with Moonbeam, Skywarp definitely would have bet on Starscream…but his tremendous love for her overrode anything else.

“This should be interesting to see,” said Megatron, setting his data pad down. “I’m not placing any bets, though.”

That was when Gemstone walked into the room, holding a cube of energon, a smile on her face. “Hey, everyone, what’s up?”

“Starscream challenged Moonbeam to a dogfight,” Thundercracker told her, walking over and putting his arm around her. “No bets refused.”

“I’ve never seen a dogfight before!” Gemstone looked excited as she followed everybody else outside. “Can I watch?”

“No way, you whore,” Moonbeam snapped, scowling. “ _You_ ’ _re_ not a Seeker, are you? What’s your vehicle mode?”

“That is no business of yours.” Gemstone crossed her arms and turned away.

“You’re probably something stupid, like a data pad or something,” Moonbeam taunted. “Maybe I can let Megatron and Soundwave watch, but why should I let a filthy little hooker watch too?”

“Now, Moonbeam,” Thundercracker said gently, resting one hand upon Moonbeam’s shoulder. “Just because Gemstone used to be a prostitute doesn’t make her any less of a Decepticon. Let her watch.”

“Why _don_ ’ _t_ you want her to watch?” Starscream chimed in. “Afraid your enemy will see you fail?”

“All right, I’ll let the little piece of trash watch!” Moonbeam shouted.

“Remember, though, this is WITHOUT weapons,” Skywarp reminded them. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt, understand?”

“Fine, fine,” said Starscream. “Will you hold the twins, Skywarp?”

“Of course,” Skywarp replied, taking them into his arms.

“Contestants,” said Megatron. “Take to the skies!”

Starscream and Moonbeam both turned to jet mode and soared into the sky.

This was the first time Starscream had been able to fly since the twins had been born, due to their taking up all of his time. That, added to the fact that he hadn’t been able to fly the last two months he’d been carrying them, was only helping him win. Flying was coming naturally again, and it felt great to have all that extra weight gone. This wasn't just a competition; it was a wonderful reunion with the sky.

Moonbeam was right on Starscream’s tail, so he fired up his thrusters and increased speed, leaving her to choke on his exhaust fumes. Obviously steaming with anger, she sped up too and bumped his wing, trying to throw him off course.

Starscream just did a barrel roll and went out of her way, then reached a higher cruising altitude, doing a few extra curlicues as a taunt. Moonbeam shot straight up in the air and rammed Starscream from behind; taking it as a challenge, he rammed her too. The dogfight was getting rougher by the minute, and Starscream was ecstatic. The sky was his home, and he loved a nasty fight.

And so the dogfight went on, with Starscream and Moonbeam trying to outdo each other, showing off every move they knew. Starscream, of course, was winning, with Moonbeam falling further and further behind. It was clear that she was angry and frustrated, unable to keep up with her opponent. All the Decepticons had gathered outside to watch, and they were cheering every time someone got bumped, scratched, or outdone.

Finally, though, the dogfight had to end. When Starscream and Moonbeam heard Megatron’s gun going off—the signal that time was up—they both had to return to the ground. Moonbeam, looking exhausted, turned to robot mode and touched down slowly, but Starscream (just to show off) stayed in jet mode and executed a perfect nose dive, touching down as gently as a leaf.

“Hah!” said Starscream, turning to robot mode and walking over to Moonbeam, who was leaning over, panting, hands on her knees. “Not a scratch on me!”

“Are there any _impartial_ judges here?” asked Thundercracker wryly, knowing that everyone had some sort of bias. Skywarp, for example, would have voted for Moonbeam, even if she hadn’t been able to fly at all, and even if Moonbeam _had_ won, Gemstone never would’ve voted for her.

“Well, what do you think?” Starscream asked baby Stars, taking him out of the air for a moment to hold him. Stars made a sort of whimpering noise and floated back up, wings twitching. “Do you think Mommy won?”

Stars squealed again, turned himself into a little jet, and descended onto Starscream’s palm.

“So, he can turn into a jet now?” said Gemstone. “Interesting.”

“You moron,” Moonbeam snapped. “Transformation is instinctive. They both knew how to do it from the moment they were born—actually, before that, even.”

“Well, excuse _me_ , Miss High-and-Mighty,” Gemstone said sarcastically. “What, am I not allowed to talk now?”

“Actually, it would be better if you just left forever,” Moonbeam said back.

“Now, we all know that you can lose a dogfight in the most humiliating way possible,” Gemstone taunted. “But can you lose a catfight too?”

With an angry scream, Moonbeam attacked Gemstone, knocking her onto the ground. Gemstone, as always, was tougher—she took advantage of the already-weakened Moonbeam and proceeded to mercilessly beat her to a pulp.

“Bring it on, slut!” Moonbeam screeched. “Bring it on!”

“No, no!” Skywarp waved his hands in the air helplessly. “Let’s be smart and bring it _off_!”

Neither femme was listening, though. They continued to fight, moves including but not limited to biting, scratching, kicking, and punching (mostly on Gemstone’s part).

“You’re dead, Moonbeam!” Gemstone hollered, sinking her teeth into Moonbeam’s wings.

Thundercracker was biting his lip as he watched them fight. Dear Primus, was that _hot_. Femmes fighting. HOT. Of course, Thundercracker was already rock-hard and trying to hide it—if anyone saw, he would never live it down…but when the fight started to get worse, he was horrified to find that his interface panel had opened by itself. In _public_.

“I-I think I have to go inside for a moment,” Thundercracker said anxiously, rushing back into base. Meanwhile, the fight continued on.

“Please, just stop!” Skywarp was insisting, trying to pull the two of them apart. “I can’t let you get hurt, kissy-wissy! I would never forgive myself!"

Starscream, watching the fight with interest, was wondering why Skywarp insisted on protecting Moonbeam, even when she seemed to enjoy tearing his spark to threads. It was clear that his love wouldn’t let him stop, though—to everyone’s surprise, he jumped right into the catfight and held the two battling femmes apart.

“Let me at her!” Moonbeam screamed.

“Yeah, let go!” Gemstone shouted.

“No! Stop it right now!” Skywarp grabbed Moonbeam’s arm and teleported her back into base, leaving all the other Decepticons to follow. Megatron, Gemstone, and Starscream walked into the main monitor room, where a scratched, bleeding, exhausted Moonbeam was sulking on the couch. Skywarp was trying to comfort her.

“Well, Moonbeam,” said Starscream smugly. “You _lost_.”

“Yeah, twice.” Gemstone shot Moonbeam a nasty smirk.

“Oh, shut the slag up,” Moonbeam growled. “I hate you both.”

“What a sore loser,” said Starscream, and Gemstone giggled. The two of them left the room, followed by Megatron, leaving Moonbeam alone to pout.

**THAT NIGHT...**

Thundercracker held Gemstone close on the cold repair table. Skywarp was helping Starscream with the twins tonight, so Thundercracker was able to spend the night with Gemstone. They were all alone in the med bay, and normally they would've interfaced, because not only were the two of them a fake couple, they also seemed to have become "friends with benefits". For some reason, though, Gemstone hadn't initiated anything, and Thundercracker was confused.  
  
"Gemstone, hon?" he asked, squeezing her tight. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," she whispered, but her tone of voice disagreed with this statement.  
  
 _Oh_ , _scrap_ , _I hate when femmes do this_ , Thundercracker thought to himself. That was what frustrated him most about femmes--they never told you exactly what they were thinking.  
  
"Mechs aren't any good at guessing," Thundercracker told her. "Talk to me."  
  
"You just want to 'face," Gemstone mumbled.  
  
"Well, usually, you do too," Thundercracker pointed out.  
  
"I'm too tired, okay?" Gemstone turned away from Thundercracker and let out a long sigh.  
  
 _Every mech hears THAT in his lifetime_ , Thundercracker thought, rolling his eyes. Femmes were so beautiful, yet so dangerous. The perfect femme could make even the strongest warrior weak in the knees.  
  
"I wish you would tell me what's bothering you," said Thundercracker. "You know I don't like playing games."  
  
Gemstone looked angry and growled, "It's Moonbeam. I wish you'd abandon her."  
  
"Why?" asked Thundercracker.  
  
"Are you slagging blind?" Gemstone demanded. "Moonbeam is the most VILE femme I have EVER met! I never get any respect from that bitch! I never get respect from ANYONE! Never! That's all you want, isn't it, TC? Interface? Is that the only thing mechs want?"  
  
"Um...pretty much, yeah." Thundercracker had the feeling that there was no right answer to that question.  
  
"Moonbeam gets tons of respect," Gemstone continued sarcastically. "But why not? After all, _she_ ' _s_ a purebred Seeker and a trained medic who even went to a first-rate university in Vos! _She_ doesn't charge mechs for a cheap sexual thrill, does she? Instead, she just picks one and plays with his spark, _enjoying_ it the whole time! How could you _possibly_ love someone like her?"  
  
"Listen, hon, she..." Thundercracker paused. "Hold on a minute. Are you...jealous?"  
  
"Jealous!" Gemstone backhanded Thundercracker onto the repair table. "Of _her_? What's wrong with you? Do you think I'm not happy with who I am? Of course I'm not jealous! I'm anything but!"  
  
"No need to get _violent_ ," said Thundercracker, sitting up again and rubbing his cheek.  
  
"Leave me alone," Gemstone told him, scowling.  
  
"I'm sorry," Thundercracker mumbled.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Gemstone looked down at the floor; her voice wasn't angry any more, just shaking, like her persona was about to crack. Thundercracker reached out and gave her a hug, hoping she wouldn't pull away from him. Luckily, she didn't.  
  
"Tell me what's on your mind, hon," Thundercracker whispered. "Please."  
  
Gemstone lifted up her head, and Thundercracker was kind of horrified to see tears leaking out of her eyes. Oh, no. What had he _done_? It was true that he loved it when femmes fought, and of course he loved it when they 'faced with him, or when they faced with each other, but he did NOT like it when they cried. It made him feel helpless, and he never knew what to do. How to comfort them.  
  
"Oh, Thundercracker, I'm not always as confident as I look," Gemstone told him, her voice quavering. "I-I hate to say it, but Moonbeam was right about one thing. One important thing."  
  
"What? What was she right about?"  
  
"She was right that I'm not a true Decepticon." Gemstone wiped her eyes, trying to stop tears from flowing down her face. "Not worthy."  
  
"Of course you are!" Thundercracker was a little perplexed. "You don't have to be a Seeker like she is! There are plenty of grounders just like you--just look at Shockwave, Soundwave, even Megatron! And the little twins, they only have Seeker CNA on Starscream's side."  
  
"No, don't you get it?" Gemstone cried, then burst into tears. "It's...it's n-not that I'm not a flier. I-I'm not a purebred _Decepticon_!"  
  
"What?!" said Thundercracker. "What do you mean?!"  
  
"I'm only a Decepticon on my father's side," Gemstone sobbed. "I'm a _car_ in vehicle mode. I'm a CAR!"  
  
Thundercracker was so shocked that he didn't have anything to say, but maybe it didn't matter, because Gemstone just barreled on.

"Remember how I told you my mother abandoned me because she couldn't afford to support two?" Gemstone asked. "Well, I know the real reason. It was because I was becoming too much like my father, she said. My father I never knew and who hurt my mother. The red eyes, the ability to fly in robot mode, I got it all from him. So by the time I reached my mid-teens, I was left on my own, with nothing to do but sell my body to sleazy mechs looking for a quick fuck."  
  
Thundercracker remembered how he had met her the same way. How he asked her if he could call her "Moonbeam".   
  
"I don't even know the mech who took my virginity, Thundercracker. I don't know what he looked like. What I remember is that he tied me up, slammed my head into the headboard, made me bleed." Gemstone swallowed hard and wiped her eyes. "I was only sixteen."  
  
"Gemstone," said Thundercracker, desperately, holding her hands. This was becoming a disaster. Gemstone always seemed so strong, like she could protect herself; he figured she'd developed her violent streak simply because she grew up on the streets of Kaon. But seeing her acting like this...  
  
Maybe it was more than that. Behind Gemstone's steely exterior, was there really a broken femme who reacted with violence because she didn't know another thing to do?  
  
"At the same time you were getting ready to graduate Seeker School...when Moonbeam was writing college essays to begin her ten years of medical training...that's what I was doing. Now you know. I know we're a fake couple," she said tearfully, "but I can't possibly think that no mech could ever love me for real. Why would he? How could he love a rape baby, a half-breed hooker? I used to cry myself to sleep every night until...until I realized that this was the only way I would ever be able to keep myself alive."  
  
With that, Gemstone fell backwards onto the repair table, crying like she would never stop. Thundercracker stroked her back, listening to her shattered spark, beating in time with his, trying to get her to calm down. When the sobs finally began to subside, he hoisted her up, letting her lean against him.  
  
"Listen, Gemstone," he told her gently. "Your parents, the mechs at the club, they aren't the ones in control. Don't let them be."  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
  
"I mean that you have a choice," Thundercracker told her, taking her hands in his. "Your life doesn't have to be like this. You can be anyone you want to be."  
  
"It's not that simple." Collasping into Thundercracker's arms, Gemstone started to cry again.  
  
"Gemstone, look at me," Thundercracker said seriously. When she lifted up her head, staring into his eyes, he let his spark speak for him. "I don't see you as a filthy half-breed, Gemstone. I see you as a beautiful, intelligent, strong femme who's just had a lot of life's curveballs thrown her way. Someday you'll find a mech who loves you for who you are. You're one of the best Decepticons I've ever known, and I can't let you go thinking otherwise."  
  
"Thank you, TC," Gemstone mumbled. "Nobody's ever said that to me before. They really haven't."  
  
"We don't have to 'face tonight, hon," Thundercracker told her, gently lifting her pearly white head up. "We can do what _you_ want."  
  
"I-I don't..." Gemstone stammered.  
  
"I'm going to give you the respect you so deserve," Thundercracker whispered, placing one arm behind her back, the other behind her neck, and he closed his eyes. Gemstone, figuring out pretty quickly what was going on, closed her eyes too, draped her arms around her fake boyfriend's neck, and joined him in the deep, beautiful kiss.  
  
It was happening. This was happening now. Thundercracker's spark was racing, his hands were shaking; a strange but wonderful feeling coursed throughout his entire body as he continued kissing Gemstone right there in the med bay. It was like nothing he felt when they were interfacing, something he had never felt before, and he didn't know what it was, but it was nothing short of amazing.  
  
The nervousness, the shakiness, the worry, it all passed as Thundercracker and Gemstone lost themselves in the kiss. To Thundercracker, it was almost like the feeling he got when he was flying, the same exhilaration and pure joy, knowing he was where he belonged.


	20. Reward

It was the twins’ feeding time again, and they were both apparently starving. Starscream was trying to feed them both, but they weren’t making it easy. Stars was nursing at the moment, with Megs impatiently waiting, screaming at the top of his lungs, nestled in the crook of Starscream’s unoccupied arm. Megatron sat calmly at the table, eating his own breakfast. Gemstone and Thundercracker were at the table, too. Gemstone had been acting a little weird that whole morning, and Thundercracker kept staring at her, even though Starscream didn’t think he was aware that he was doing it. Starscream felt like he was about to black out with a massive headache.

“Can you help me out here for once, Megatron?” Starscream demanded, feeling harried as he tried to keep the sparklings from falling out of his arms. “Get your shiny metal aft out of that chair and get a slagging bottle!”

“Why?” said Megatron. “You’ve got one built in, looks like.”

“We have TWO sparklings, in case you haven’t noticed!” Starscream reminded him. “I can only feed one at a time! So can you please give your son his breakfast?”

“Wish I could, Starscream, but I have more important things to do,” said Megatron. “Taking care of the sparklings is _your_ job.”

“Megatron,” said Gemstone quietly. “When did you last hold the twins?”

“On their Creation Day, I do believe,” Megatron told her. “Why?”

“When a sparkling is born,” Gemstone began, “both parents need to be there. You need to hold them, feed them, and play with them. Otherwise they’ll grow up thinking you don’t love them. They want to be close to you _and_ Starscream.”

Megatron looked doubtful, but when Megs noticed him watching, the little gunformer reached out both tiny arms and squealed hopefully.

“See, he wants you.” Gemstone smiled. Scooping Megs out of Starscream’s hand, she carefully passed him over to his daddy, the one who claimed to have no time for him. When Megatron held baby Megs in his arms, Megs reached out for one of the miniature energon cubes sitting on the table.

“No, Megs,” Megatron told him. “You can only have your mommy’s energon, remember?”

“Freezer,” said Starscream, using his free arm to gesture towards the refrigerator.

It was a little awkward, but Megatron managed to feed Twin Number One while Starscream fed his brother. When Megs’ bottle was empty, Megatron set it on the table.

“Well, you were hungry, weren’t you?” said Megatron, holding Megs up.

Megs made a little whining sort of noise, and then threw up all over his father. Starscream was unable to contain his joy, almost letting Stars fall out of his arms as he burst into laughter; Thundercracker and Gemstone were laughing too.

“Hey, that is _so_ not funny,” said Megatron, red eyes flashing. “Take him back!”

“Well, it’s all part of raising sparklings, Megatron,” Starscream told him, smirking at Megatron as he took the other twin back. “Besides, how was I to know that none of us knows how to take care of a sparkling—much less two?”

Megatron scowled and watched Stars take a couple more sucks and then gently detach his mouth, cooing contentedly as he floated into the air, his signal for when he was full and ready to fly again. Starscream put his lactation cable away, closed his spark chamber, and headed to the refrigerator to get some much-needed energon for himself.

Thundercracker, meanwhile, had invented a game for Stars recently. Thundercracker would wave one finger in the air and let Stars chase it around. It helped Stars develop his budding flying instincts and he never seemed to tire of it, so he could play and learn at the same time.

“Okay, that is too cute.” Gemstone giggled. “Even for me.”

“Do you want to try it?” Thundercracker asked.

“Sure,” Gemstone told him, and started the game. Twitching his tiny wings and chasing after Gemstone’s finger, Stars squealed with baby happiness and flew around surprisingly quickly.

“Listen, all of you, I’ve got to go on a mission today,” Megatron announced, setting his breakfast energon down and standing up. “I probably won’t be home until after dark.”

“You mean I have to do all this sparkling stuff myself?” Starscream cried.

“I’ll give you a reward tonight when I get home.” Megatron gave Starscream a wicked grin, leaving no doubt as to what he meant. “Don’t you three stop being adorable.”

“Oh ha-ha, very funny,” Starscream grumbled.

**THAT EVENING…**

Megatron was right. Darkness had fallen, and he still wasn’t back yet. Starscream couldn’t wait for him to return, though, for a reward…a reward that Starscream had planned.

Starscream waited in Megatron’s office for him to return, and he felt himself perk up when he heard Megatron walk back into base. Starscream had to wait for a long time, but Megatron finally entered the office.

“I believe you’ve forgotten something, Lord Megatron.” Starscream was sitting on Megatron’s desk, swinging his legs, an asymmetrical grin on his face. “My reward?”

“Oh, yes,” said Megatron, rummaging around in one of the desk drawers. “Hey, where are the handcuffs?”

“Looking for something?” Starscream sneered, lifting up the handcuffs.

Before Megatron could react, Starscream tackled him and threw him back onto the floor, fastening the handcuffs around his wrists.

“ _This_ time,” said Starscream, letting out an evil laugh, “Starscream will be dominant!”

“NEVER!” Megatron hollered. “I will never take the submissive role!”

“Is that right?” Starscream reached one hand down, in between Megatron’s thighs, and stuck his fingers deep inside, one by one. To his satisfaction, the old mech was already getting wet. Tonight, Starscream would own him.

Just to get started, Starscream lay back on the floor, released his erect spike, and said, “Give it to me, Megsy.”

“I will never suck your filthy spike,” Megatron snapped.

“What’s the matter?” Starscream sat up and grabbed Megatron’s cheeks. “Afraid of a face-full of foam?”

“Megatron knows no fear,” said Megatron. “I just will not reduce myself to this level.”

“No ‘facing till you do.” Starscream gestured downwards.

“All right, I’ll do it,” Megatron mumbled. “And you are going to enjoy it.”

It went without saying that Starscream didn’t get blow jobs from Megatron very often. Usually it was the other way around, but Starscream wished he was the receiver more often because…wow. That actually felt good. _Really_ good.

Starscream collapsed into the wall and moaned with pleasure, which just encouraged Megatron. It got better by the second; Starscream’s spike felt hot, tingling, like a volcano about to explode. It felt almost like an inviting, form-fitting, juicy valve, with Megatron’s tongue massaging the shaft to a fault, working its way up to the tip, and then snaking back down.

“Oh, I-I’m g-gonnaco—augh!” said Starscream, his overload streaming into Megatron’s mouth.

Megatron swallowed with a look of disgust. “How was that?”

“That was amazing,” Starscream told him sincerely, then sat up again, bringing Megatron into an impromptu kiss. They kept making out for a long time, during which Starscream waited to get pressurized enough to penetrate. Yes, he would penetrate Megatron instead of the other way around! Normally, he wouldn’t have been so bold…but he had pretty much fully recovered from his pregnancy by now; he was feeling better and, needless to say, his libido was at an all-time high.

Megatron was handcuffed, but Starscream grabbed one of his Master’s hands and moved it up and down one wing, causing a feeling of ecstasy to pass throughout his entire body. How good it felt, to have wings that didn’t hurt anymore! Having his slag buddy handling them was making it even better.

Once the time had come, Starscream quickly crawled out from under Megatron and kneeled in front of him, and then (not without some difficulty) managed to pry his legs apart.

“What are you doing?” Megatron demanded. “Just returning the blow job, I hope.”

“Not a chance,” Starscream whispered, tugging a little at the shackles that bound his boss’s hands. “I’m the giver this time, Megatron, and you’re the receiver.”

“I will never—yaahh!” Megatron let out a yelp of surprise as Starscream shoved himself in, as deep and as hard as he could.

“Oh, was that a little painful, Megsy?” Starscream cooed sarcastically (as if Megatron would know _anything_ about pain in that location!). “I’ll try to be gentle.”

“No one plays gentle with Megatron!” yelled Megatron.

“If you say so,” said Starscream, setting a slow pace then getting steadily faster and harder as the session went on. It felt exhilarating to be the dominant one for once, to be in control, to be on top—literally _and_ figuratively. Megatron was letting out hybrid grunt-moans, and Starscream was laughing wickedly between wails of pleasure.

“WHO’S the leader?” Starscream continued his fast thrusts, loving the feeling of filling Megatron up and watching him squirm.

“Y-You are,” Megatron mumbled, raising his hips to adjust to Starscream’s speedy pace.

“I can’t HEAR you!”

“YOU ARE!”

“Yes, yes, that’s right!” Starscream cried, and kept riding the gray mech, who was moaning even louder now. Megatron was handcuffed, but Starscream might as well have lassoed him, because he really _was_ getting his reward the way he wanted.

Their steamy, raw animal-sex session kept going. If Cybertronians could sweat, they both would be covered in it right now. No matter—they were both soaking by now anyway. Flames of passion were licking their bodies. Starscream heard himself screaming as he felt his overload hit, his hot, sticky transfluid flowing out into his lover shamelessly. Megatron overloaded too with a howl; Starscream collapsed on top of him and drew him into a sloppy kiss.

“Did it feel good?” Starscream whispered in Megatron’s ear, snaking along beside him and taking the handcuffs off. Megatron just grunted again and tried to lift up his head. Starscream nuzzled his cheek. “I guess you’re a little wore out, then, huh? Maybe I _have_ done this right.”


	21. Triple-Dating Disaster

“You know what I’ve noticed?” said Moonbeam casually as she sipped her breakfast energon. “I've never seen Thundercracker take his new girlfriend on a date. Why is that?”

“That’s not such a bad idea, actually.” Thundercracker smiled at Gemstone. “I guess we’ve just been so busy that we haven’t even thought of it before. Gemstone, I can take you somewhere real nice. How about that?”

Before Gemstone could reply, Skywarp blurted out, “Hey, I know! Why don’t we go on a _double_ date? Me, Moonbeam, Thundercracker, and Gemstone!”

“Sure.” Gemstone shrugged.

“Skywarp, may I have a word with you?” said Thundercracker, taking his brother into the corner, away from the femmes. “Where the slag did _that_ come from?”

“Well, secretly, I wanted Gemstone and Moonbeam to bond on the date,” Skywarp whispered back.

“Are you _on_ something, ‘Warp?” Thundercracker hissed. “Those two despise each other.”

“Yes, I know.” Skywarp nodded. “That’s why I think a double date will be just the thing to pull their friendship together.”

Thundercracker sighed. Well, this wasn’t an _entirely_ bad idea. Sure, he doubted Moonbeam and Gemstone would ever become friends, but if he went on a double date with Gemstone, he could show off his “relationship” with her (even if they didn’t really have one). After all, the only ones who knew the true nature of the relationship were Gemstone and Thundercracker themselves. Starscream did suspect it, but he couldn’t prove anything.

“I guess we’ve got nothing to lose,” Thundercracker told him. “Let’s do it.”

When they got back to the table, Skywarp told the femmes, “I discussed it with Thundercracker, and he thinks we should give it a go.”

“That’s wonderful, Warpy.” Moonbeam got up and hugged Skywarp; then, they all sat down again. Not long after, they heard Starscream’s agitated voice down the hallway.

“I told you, mix the GREEN chemical with the BLUE one, not the RED one!” the Seeker was saying pointedly as he walked into the room. Megs was sleeping in his right arm; Stars was nursing in his left. Starscream was talking on his com. link with his right arm, somehow managing to balance the sparkling in the crook of his elbow at the same time. “And don’t tell me you’ve mixed incompatible species in the Earth terrarium again!”

Starscream was originally right-handed, but because his sparklings preferred different arms (Stars liked his left arm, Megs liked his right), he had basically become ambidextrous over the past couple months. By now it wasn’t unusual to find him walking around like his old self, often doing three or four things at once, not including whichever sparkling he was cable-feeding at the time. With all the duties he had, Starscream was gradually transforming from a confused rookie into an accomplished, multitasking, ambidextrous scientist Seeker Supermom.

“All right, then, take the bear OUT and leave the human IN,” Starscream clarified. “Or at least leave the bear out until I say put him in. And don’t forget what I told you about the potions. You’re welcome. G’bye.”

“Who was that?” said Thundercracker as Starscream sat down at the table.

“Just someone from the university,” Starscream replied. “Apparently he messed up something on a science experiment involving chemistry _and_ biology, so they needed someone who was an expert in both matters.”

“University of Vos?” said Skywarp.

“No, it was the University of Cybertron,” Starscream said proudly. “That’s right. I’m well-known there too.”

“That’s right, you studied at U of V too, didn’t you?” Moonbeam looked interested. “I went to grad school there. It was where I got my M.D.”

“Small world.” Starscream shrugged and smiled. “I got two Master’s degrees there.”

“I also was an intern for a couple years at Crystal City College,” Moonbeam continued. “It was a pretty small place, but hands-on training is so much different from simple classes.”

“Tell me about it,” said Starscream. “I always liked doing experiments so much more than I liked listening to some professor drone on about something and showing us graphs on slideshows.”

“Oh, I _hated_ slideshows.” Moonbeam laughed. “I had one teacher who would always linger on the same slide for a really long time. Some students dropped out of the class because he would sometimes stay forever on slides that you, personally, would probably not be able to handle without losing your lunch.”

“I _am_ squeamish,” Starscream admitted. “But I did love making things explode in Chemistry.”

“Ah, the wonders of higher education,” Moonbeam agreed, shaking her head.

“Yeah, it was pretty—oh, gross.” Starscream winced as Megs suddenly woke up crying.

“What?” said Moonbeam.

“Well, I fed Megs not so long ago,” Starscream replied. “So now he has decided to pass it through his digestive system at an amazing speed.”

Starscream pulled a fresh diaper and some baby powder out of the twins’ diaper bag and started to change Megs at the table with one hand, somehow managing to use his other arm to support his cable-feeding other sparkling.

“Let me change him,” said Skywarp, taking the baby powder and the diaper out of Starscream’s hand and beginning Megs’ diaper change.

“I’ll get you some energon, now that your other hand is free,” Gemstone offered, going to the refrigerator and handing Starscream a cube of medium-grade.

“Thank you.” Starscream laughed. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

“You deserve a little break.” Skywarp sealed Megs’ dirty diaper up and dropped it in the diaper bag. “Gemstone, Moonbeam, Thundercracker and I are having a double date. Why don’t you come along? You can bring Megatron, and we can make it a triple date.”

Moonbeam frowned. “That’d be…odd, at least.”

“When you’re a Mommy, you don’t get breaks,” said Starscream. “But I guess I could go if we got someone to watch the sparklings. We can ask Mr. Jerk-Aft Lazy Pants what he thinks when he finally decides to come in for breakfast.”

Starscream took a long sip of his energon cube as Skywarp lovingly finished changing Megs’ diaper. It was too bad Moonbeam didn’t want a family, because Skywarp would have made the perfect father. After Megs was in a clean, fresh diaper, Skywarp bounced him in his lap; Stars finally got his fill of Seeker energon and by the time Megatron walked in, holding his data pad, the little Seekerling was hovering in the air, making little cooing noises. Megatron sat down in his chair and opened up his newspaper app.

“Would you be a dear and get me some high-grade, Starscream?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.

“Get it yourself,” said Starscream, scowling at him. “Besides, we wanted to ask you something.”

“Thundercracker and I are going on a double date with Moonbeam and Gemstone,” Skywarp explained excitedly. “We were wondering if you and Starscream wanted to tag along.”

“Well, I _have_ been rather strained lately,” Megatron said pensively.

“Strained?!” Starscream sounded incredulous. “Taking care of sparklings is a full-time job, y’know—and you can’t clock out!”

“You can’t clock in, either,” said Megatron. “Leading the Decepticons is a difficult job, Starscream, and you can’t do that either, can you?”

Inevitably, Starscream was about to attack Megatron, but Gemstone got up from her chair and held him back.

“Look, you two, if you’re going to be parents, you _have_ to get along,” she insisted. “Even if you don’t truly love each other, can’t you be civil with each other for the sparklings’ sake? Megatron, do you really want to be the kind of father who’s never around?”

“I…no, I don’t,” said Megatron quietly.

“It’s hard for someone to grow up in a family where the parents argue all the time,” Gemstone continued. “Or, in my case, where you never knew your father and your mother hates you.”

“Please come on the date with us,” Skywarp added. “It’ll be fun.”

Megatron and Starscream looked reluctant, but finally they both agreed. Skywarp gently handed Megs back to Starscream, and Stars descended into Starscream’s arms as well. They were full and settling into their regular after-meal stasis nap. Starscream kissed both little helmets and held them both to his spark; they cuddled up to him in their sleep. They really weren’t so bad when they weren’t screaming.

“So, if we go out,” said Starscream, stroking Megs’ helmet with his finger, “who’s going to watch the little twins?”

“I guess I could get Soundwave to do it,” Megatron said slowly.

“Yeah, they could have a play-date with Rumble and Frenzy.” Gemstone giggled.

“Just keep Ravage away from them,” said Skywarp. “For all we know, he’d try to eat them.”

**THAT NIGHT…**

All three couples were ready for a big night out. They’d tried to think of somewhere fun and exciting, but besides the smoothie shop and the Cybertronian Gentle-Bots’ Club, there wasn’t that much to do. The smoothie shop wasn’t a very romantic place, but the only femmes at the strip club were there for money. Besides, Gemstone would most likely not want to go there on her first date with Thundercracker.

So the smoothie shop it was. Skywarp, of course, paid for Moonbeam’s smoothie, and Thundercracker paid for Gemstone’s. Megatron insisted that Starscream pay for himself.

“I’d pay for my own,” Gemstone was saying earnestly, “but I’m truly broke.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Thundercracker. “No gentle-bot makes his date pay the bill.”

“I don’t love you for your money, TC,” Gemstone whispered, putting one hand on Thundercracker’s wing. Most likely, she was emphasizing their fake relationship to Skywarp and Moonbeam (who were standing right there), but Thundercracker felt a weird sort of tingling feeling when she touched him. Probably just because she was touching his wing. Or because he was thirsty. Or…oh. _She just touched me again_ … _mm_ , _nice_.

When all six of them got back to the table, it was time for the hard part: socializing.

“So, um…can you believe this Earth weather we’re having?” said Starscream rather awkwardly, looking down at his smoothie and stirring the straw.

“We still have a lot to get used to.” Gemstone shrugged. “Kaon might have sucked, but at least I was on Cybertron at all.”

“You grew up in _Kaon_?” Moonbeam wasn’t doing a good job at concealing her disgust.

“Well, my mother just didn’t have a lot of money,” Gemstone mumbled, staring down at the table. “It’s kind of a long story but…yeah. We lived in Kaon.”

“Vos is so much better.” Moonbeam smirked. “I’ve never even _been_ to Kaon. Or, even worse, the Cybertronian Gentle-Bots’ Club.”

“We didn’t _want_ to live in Kaon…” Gemstone’s tone rose to a slightly higher pitch. “We _had_ to. I told you. We didn’t have a lot of money. We couldn’t live in a wealthy city-state like Vos or Iacon.”

“So what happened to your penniless mother, then?” Moonbeam asked, raising one eyebrow. “Was she a whore just like you? Is that why you couldn’t afford a better place?”

“That…that is no business of yours.” Gemstone’s voice shook as she glared at Moonbeam.

“Well, I grew up in Kaon too, mind you,” Megatron said casually; he was the only one at the table who didn’t seem to be affected by the awkwardness. “It’s where I had my gladiator career.”

“That’s right, the mechs there didn’t have very rewarding careers either, did they?” said Moonbeam.

Starscream didn’t know much about Gemstone or her backstory, but he did know that Moonbeam was yet again acting like the blatant bitch she was. Thundercracker wasn’t sticking up for his fake girlfriend, and everybody was just sitting there watching. This was no longer just about Gemstone or Skywarp or Thundercracker or anybody. This was about Moonbeam, and in Starscream’s opinion, it was the last straw.

“Shut UP!” Starscream shouted, standing up and pointing his gun right at her face. (Of course, he wouldn’t have _really_ shot her, but this was a force of habit.) “Just shut up! I am _tired_ of you, you worthless bitch!”

“Call me a worthless bitch, will you?” Moonbeam’s eyes flashed red with anger as she stood up too. “Bring it on, you wuss! Bring it on!”

“No!” Skywarp shot up and locked his arms around Moonbeam protectively. “Nobody’s going to have a fight tonight. Sit back down and drink your energon smoothies!”

“I’m not drinking anything!” Starscream snatched up Moonbeam’s smoothie and tossed it at her, the bright pink liquid spilling all over her black-and-gold paint job.

“Oh, it’s on now!” Moonbeam shrieked, and with a furious, warrior-like howl, she attacked Starscream, knocking him backwards onto the floor. The fight escalated quickly.

“You go Starscream!” Gemstone was almost like a cheerleader. “Rip her wings off!”

“No! Don’t!” Skywarp sounded hysterical—but nobody listened.

Thundercracker, meanwhile, didn’t know what to do. Of course, he didn’t want Moonbeam, his love, to get hurt in any way, but he was feeling bad for his fake girlfriend, too—Moonbeam had no idea what she had gone through, and to be honest, she was really showing Gemstone no kindness. Who was he supposed to side with? Should he help Skywarp stop the fight? What was he supposed to do?

It would have been different if Moonbeam was fighting Gemstone again, for it was always hot to watch femmes fight…but this time, instead of Thundercracker’s crush and his fake girlfriend, it was his crush and Starscream. That was more jarring than hot.

Thundercracker _hated_ conflict! And he hated not knowing who he should be mad at! And he hated not knowing what to do! And why was he not defending Moonbeam? Moonbeam…the beautiful Moonbeam…she was getting hurt…but Gemstone was hurt too…by Moonbeam. Who was the victim here? Who was in the wrong? Thundercracker was starting to get a massive headache. 

“Please, please stop!” Skywarp was screaming, tears running down his face. “Stop it right now!”

“That’s enough, Starscream.” Megatron got up calmly and held them apart. Starscream and Moonbeam, both lightweights, were easy to lift up. “Call it off.”

“We’re going home right away,” Skywarp added, wiping his eyes. “Thanks for ruining our night, Starscream.”

…

“I can’t believe Skywarp got mad at me,” Starscream said for about the tenth time that night. As usual, he was sharing the room with Thundercracker. The twins were fast asleep in their crib, and Starscream had been complaining about the smoothie incident all night long. 

“Well, you _did_ attack his girlfriend,” Thundercracker grunted, turning against the wall.

“Thundercracker, this is getting ridiculous.” Starscream glared at the blue jet. “I just couldn’t take it anymore. Skywarp is so slagging _blind_ to everything she does…and I’m not just talking about how she was treating Gemstone. It’s about how she treats me, how she treats you, and _especially_ about how she treats Skywarp. She _loves_ to play him for a fool, and every time I try to warn him, he just gets mad and accuses me of being jealous. When she breaks his spark, he’s going to be the last one to know.”

“Skywarp is going to stay with Moonbeam,” said Thundercracker. “Even if she isn’t looking for the commitment that he is, he’s going to hold on to her as long as he can. Now his entire _life_ centers around her, basically.”

“What is the Mech Code, TC?” Starscream demanded. “What is it?”

“Mechs before femmes,” said Thundercracker. “So?”

“ _So_ , we’re his brothers and his friends,” Starscream snapped. “And he’s turned his back on us for her. In the end, I swear she’s going to mess him up big-time, and then what’s going to happen?”

“Well, it’s no business of ours, is it?” Thundercracker flexed his wings a little and glared at the wall.

“It’s completely our business!” Starscream shouted—but he must have shouted a bit too loud, because the twins woke up and started wailing.

“Come on,” Starscream grumbled. Thundercracker followed him to the crib, and, as usual, Thundercracker went to the kitchen to get a bottle for one sparkling while Starscream began to cable-feed the other. When the twins were done eating, Starscream and Thundercracker rocked them to sleep again.

But the hardest part was for Starscream and Thundercracker to get any recharge themselves.


	22. Wind Beneath My Wings

**SEVERAL DAYS LATER…**

Starscream was feeding Stars his breakfast at the kitchen table. Thundercracker was trying to feed Megs, but Megs refused to cooperate.

“Nug!” said Megs, pointing at Thundercracker.

“Look, would you quit calling me Nug?!” yelled Thundercracker.

“NUG!” Megs insisted, still pointing.

“Did he seriously just call you Nug?” Starscream was obviously trying not to laugh.

“Yes, he _did_ just call me Nug, and he’s been doing it all week,” Thundercracker grumbled. “Can you say ‘Uncle Thundercracker’?”

“Nug,” Megs said again.

“Great,” said Thundercracker. “My own nephew likes to call me Nug. Whatever _that_ means.”

Starscream just laughed. “I think it’s funny.”

Of course, not everyone was laughing. As breakfast wore on, the mood sank. Skywarp still wasn’t speaking to Starscream, who believed that, as usual, he was completely justified and in the right, and everybody who disagreed with him was just annoying and wrong. During breakfast, the two of them didn’t even look at each other.

Moonbeam seemed to be “hot” again in her hot-and-cold relationship with Skywarp. Usually they were all lovey-dovey, but today, whenever she spoke to him, his cheeks turned a bright crimson red and he just mumbled something unintelligible back. Starscream and Thundercracker, who had of course known Skywarp all his life, knew that this was how he acted when he was nervous about something.

“Excuse us for a moment,” said Starscream, pulling Thundercracker aside. Stars, still cable-feeding, had to come with him, but they weren’t too concerned about him eavesdropping. Once they were alone in the corner, Starscream whispered, “Do you think Skywarp is acting kind of…weird today?”

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Thundercracker quietly said back. “Something’s bugging him, but I couldn’t guess what.”

The two jets looked back at the table. Moonbeam was being flirty with Skywarp, who was twitching a little and laughing nervously. When she put her hand on his cheek, he smiled weakly, but he didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands.

“Oh dear Primus,” said Starscream as a crazy thought entered his head. “Do you think he’s going to dump her?”

“No way,” Thundercracker shot back. “Skywarp is totally in love with that femme.”

“Maybe he realized that she’s poison,” Starscream insisted. “So he’s trying to figure out how to, y’know, drop the bomb gently.”

“You’re full of slag, Starscream,” said Thundercracker scornfully, but he shot a curious glance Skywarp’s way nonetheless.

“Maybe we should ask him about it,” Starscream suggested.

“Yeah…it could be for the better.” Thundercracker nodded and they both went back to the kitchen table.

“Skywarp, would you have a word with us for a moment?” Starscream asked the purple jet.

“No, I won’t.” Skywarp glared at them. “I’m not talking to you, Starscream.”

“Yes, you can sit by me, sugar daddy,” Moonbeam cooed, holding Skywarp close and stroking his wings affectionately.

“On second thought, it might be something really important!” Skywarp blurted out, tripping on his words as he stumbled up from the table. When he got up, he tried to push the chair in, but he ended up knocking it over instead. Cheeks redder than ever, he stood up again and ran to the corner, leaving his brothers to follow.

“All right, ‘Warp, what’s up?” Starscream hissed.

“Um…the sky?” said Skywarp nervously.

“Quit fooling around,” Thundercracker told him. “We can see you’re acting strange, and we want to know why.”

“What are you talking about?” Skywarp asked.

“You’re acting really weird around Moonbeam, that’s what we’re talking about!” said Starscream.

“What are you planning on doing?” Thundercracker added.

“I-I’m not planning on doing anything,” Skywarp mumbled, but his cheeks were even redder now, and he was fidgeting as he stared down at the ground, avoiding eye contact.

“Well, Skywarp, I think _I_ know what you’re up to,” said Starscream. “I’m glad you finally saw how horrible Moonbeam truly is. Now go do it already, okay? You don’t need to worry about letting her down easy. She doesn’t deserve your kindness.”

“ _What_?!” Skywarp cried, causing everyone at the table to turn and stare; Stars, who had fallen asleep with the cable in his mouth, started fussing and Starscream had to focus on soothing him. Skywarp noticed the sparkling and made his voice quieter. “What did you just say?”

“Weren’t you going to dump her?” Thundercracker asked. “Wasn’t that why you were being weird around her?”

“No!” Skywarp cried. “And I wasn’t being weird around her!”

It was conspicuous, though. Stars woke up and started wailing. Fear shone in Skywarp’s crimson eyes. But fear of what? Wasn’t _he_ going to be the one doing the dumping…before it was too late?

**AT DINNERTIME…**

Skywarp looked like he was about to throw up. Starscream and Thundercracker _knew_ he was going to dump Moonbeam now. There was no other explanation for his strange behavior.

Finally, just when dinner was ending, he stood up and asked in a squeaky voice, “May I have everyone’s attention, please?”

Everyone’s attention? Now, that wasn’t like Skywarp at all! It might be true that he was dumping Moonbeam, but he wouldn’t really humiliate her in front of all the other Decepticons…would he?

Once all heads were turned his way, though, he just barreled on. “Could I please speak to the femme Seeker they call Moonbeam?”

Starscream and Thundercracker were watching, eyes wide, on the edges of their seats, waiting to see what would happen as Moonbeam stood up. Skywarp grabbed her hand and led her away from the table to the center of the room.

“Moonbeam,” Skywarp said as he put one hand on her shoulder, his voice shaking. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you for a very long time now. I just didn’t know how to say it.”

“What is it, sugar daddy?” Moonbeam looked legitimately curious as she stared up into Skywarp’s eyes.

Skywarp took a deep breath and closed his eyes tight as if he was thinking, _Primus_ , _wish me luck_. The whole kitchen was as quiet as a tomb. Eyes wide as saucers, all the Decepticons were watching. Starscream and Thundercracker braced for impact—Moonbeam’s reaction to her dumping definitely wouldn’t be pretty.

“Soundwave?” Skywarp asked suddenly. “Would you come up here for a minute?”

“Permission requested,” said Soundwave.

“Just go,” Megatron said irritably. “Whatever this is, I just want it over with so I can finish my dinner.”

“Will you play this tape, please?” Skywarp held out a little cassette for Soundwave, who started to play the tape. To everyone’s surprise, a slow, beautiful song started playing:

 

_It must have been cold there in my shadow_

_To never have sunlight on your face_

_You were content to let me shine_ , _that_ ’ _s your way_

 _You always walked a step behind_...

 

By the time the chorus started playing, Moonbeam’s hands were up to her face, covering her mouth; her cheeks were flushed, and she was looking gobsmacked. Everyone in the room was gaping.

 

 _Did you ever know that you_ ’ _re my hero_?

 _And everything I would like to be_?

_I could fly higher than an eagle_

_For you are the wind beneath my wings_ …

 

“Moonbeam, my radiant goddess, you truly _are_ the wind beneath my wings,” said Skywarp, kneeling to the ground and holding out a huge, gleaming diamond ring. “Will you take my hand in marriage?”

Everyone gasped. Starscream felt his jaw drop; Thundercracker spit out his drink. Gemstone was clinging to her fake boyfriend, her eyes wide. Soundwave was, as usual, expressionless as he continued to play the song, but even Megatron was looking a little surprised at this development.

“So? What do you say?” Skywarp asked, looking up at her, still holding out the ring, looking hopeful.

“What do I say?” Moonbeam took the ring from Skywarp and slid it right onto her finger. “I say yes, sugar daddy! Yes!”

“I love you so much, Moonbeam!” Skywarp cried out jubilantly as he jumped up and scooped her into his arms, bridal-style.

“I love you too, sugar daddy,” said Moonbeam tearfully, and she pulled Skywarp into a long, romantic kiss.

Everybody cheered.

**THAT NIGHT…**

The little twins were sleeping; Starscream and Thundercracker were quietly discussing Skywarp’s proposal.

“I guess we should’ve seen it coming,” said Starscream. “Look, I know I said I hated Moonbeam, but it’s just hard to feel the same way after watching that. Y’know, like, maybe she’s not so bad after all.”

“Maybe they can make their marriage work.” Thundercracker sounded thoughtful.

“I just hope Moonbeam’s in love with Skywarp and not with the ring, if you know what I mean,” said Starscream, remembering. “Because I think that huge, expensive piece of jewelry had something to do with her saying yes.”

“They say a femme has three times in her life when she’s allowed to act like a complete and utter self-absorbed bitch,” Thundercracker said. “When she’s pregnant, when it’s her Creation Day, _and_ on her wedding day.”

“Well, I can understand the first two,” said Starscream. “But Moonbeam is _always_ a complete and utter self-absorbed bitch.”

“So are you,” Thundercracker told him.

“Shut up.” Starscream glared at his brother. “That’s not my point, anyway. My point is that if she’s already bad now, she’ll be even worse when it comes to her wedding day. So I’m kind of scared right now.”

“Never underestimate a bride-to-be,” Thundercracker agreed. 


	23. The Way It Hurts

**THE NEXT DAY…**

“Obviously, there will be only two individuals controlling the wedding,” Starscream was saying to Skywarp. “One, the bride, and two…”

“The groom?” Skywarp guessed.

“No, the maid of honor.” Thundercracker laughed. “Weddings take care of themselves, ‘Warp.”

“What do you mean?” Skywarp asked.

“Well, the groom’s mindset about his wedding day is generally, ‘I don’t care as long as I’m marrying her’, but the bride sees it more as a huge social event—maybe even the most important one of her life,” Starscream explained. “And if you try to bust a femme’s wedding plans, she will hunt you down and kill you.”

“Scrap, I love ‘em anyway.” Thundercracker sighed and lay back on the bed. When Starscream looked closely, he could see that the blue jet’s eyes were as full of love as ever. Of course, he was still thinking that he wanted to be the one marrying Moonbeam…but he would never ruin the wedding for Skywarp. That would defy the Mech Code and destroy the Trine.

“I wish we could get married _right now_ ,” said Skywarp dreamily. “You’re right, Starscream. I care little for ceremonies. I know the actual wedding isn’t for months, but I want to spend the rest of my life with my angel, Moonbeam.”

 _Well_ , _she_ ’ _s hardly an angel_ , Starscream thought, but he kept this to himself.

“Come to think of it, Moonbeam doesn’t really _have_ a maid-of-honor,” Starscream pointed out. “The only other femme here is Gemstone, and Gemstone would never do it, even if Moonbeam threatened her life—not that Moonbeam _would_ want Gemstone in her wedding, anyway…”

“Moonbeam couldn’t kill Gemstone,” said Thundercracker. “Gemstone is too tough. She doesn’t just slap like Moonbeam does—she’ll sock you across the room if you get her angry enough.”

“But anyway,” said Starscream, turning to Thundercracker, “do you remember what we had planned for our brother this weekend, TC?”

“Ah, yes, now I remember.” Thundercracker was grinning.

“What?” said Skywarp. “You had something planned?”

“Of course,” Starscream told him seriously. “We’re going to invite all the Decepticons except Gemstone and Moonbeam. No femmes allowed…well, except for the entertainment, that is.”

“Why no femmes?” said Skywarp.

Thundercracker just laughed and put his arm around his brother. “Skywarp…don’t you know what a bachelor party is?”

**THAT NIGHT…**

“Skywarp’s having a bachelor party, huh?” Gemstone was smirking. “Believe me, I can’t even _count_ how many bachelor parties have gone on in the Cybertronian Mechs’ Club. I don’t mean to sound slutty, but…I _did_ make a lot of money on those nights.”

“Technically, you can come if you want,” said Thundercracker.

“I don’t like that club, TC,” Gemstone told him solemnly. “There are plenty of other hookers there. Once you took me away from my old world, I don’t ever want to go back.”

“You’ll never have to,” Thundercracker reassured her, hugging her tight. It felt so sweet, so wonderful, to have his arms wrapped protectively around a femme who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. In Kaon, you had to be. But genuine love from a femme could make any warrior weak in the knees, and Thundercracker knew it.

“Thank you,” Gemstone whispered.

“Actually, as your fake boyfriend, I’m required to beat up any mech who tries to make a move on you,” said Thundercracker.

“By the time you get to him, I’ll have taken care of him for you,” Gemstone replied. “You don’t need to lift a blaster if a mech is hitting on _this_ fake girlfriend.”

“You know, when I took Skywarp to that club one time, before I met you, there was this random hooker who tried to make Skywarp be one of her ‘clients’,” Thundercracker said thoughtfully, the memory still hazily in his mind. “I was pretty drunk at that point, but I do remember that he turned the hooker down because he wanted to stay faithful to Moonbeam.”

“That’s sweet,” said Gemstone. “Not that I’m surprised.”

“If she was _my_ girlfriend, like I want,” said Thundercracker, “I wouldn’t have cheated on her either.”

“Thundercracker…” Gemstone grabbed her fake boyfriend’s hands and stared up into his eyes. “Do you really think it’ll ever happen?”

“I certainly have a chance with her.”

“Maybe we’re doing this to make her jealous, but…” Gemstone shrugged. “Moonbeam is with Skywarp. They’re getting married. There’s not much that will ever come of your little infatuation with her.”

“What are you talking about?” Thundercracker demanded. “I don’t know why Skywarp saw Moonbeam first. If he hadn’t, she would have been mine, and for all we know, _I_ could’ve been the one engaged to her!”

“How can you even _say_ that?!” Gemstone cried. “You should be _happy_ for Skywarp!”

“I _am_ happy for him!” Thundercracker protested. “It’s just that…”

“You mechs are ALL alike!” Gemstone glared at Thundercracker, her hands on her hips. “That’s what it all comes down to, doesn’t it? You’ll willingly hook up with any femme, not thinking that it might mean something someday, someday you might be doing it with somebody you really love, but NO! As long as she’s accomplished, and pretty, and EVERYTHING you could EVER want! That’s how you feel about Moonbeam, isn’t it, the stupid SLAGGING BITCH THAT SHE IS!”

“Gemstone, please calm down!” Thundercracker pleaded.

“Don’t you try and tell me what to do!” Gemstone shouted. “And you know what? I _am_ going to that bachelor party, but I’m NOT going with you. I’m going to sleep with as many mechs as I want, and I’m going to charge them for it too! You want to know why?”

“Um…no, not really,” Thundercracker mumbled.

“Because I don’t want to be your fake girlfriend anymore!” Gemstone’s eyes flashed red with anger as she made her way towards the door. “I’d rather spread my legs for _any_ drunk mech at a club, AS LONG AS HE’S NOT YOU!”

“Gemstone, where are you going?!” Thundercracker cried, chasing after her desperately.

“I’m going back to the club!” Gemstone snapped, not even looking back. “See you at the bachelor party, you son-of-a-glitch!”

…

Thundercracker was lying flat on his back, his eyes shut tight, looking almost as if he was in physical pain. Gemstone had left, just marched out the door. Now she was at the Decepticlub again, probably already ‘facing with another mech, another idiot jerk Thundercracker would love to strangle alive. In fact, he was so distracted with this thought that he didn’t notice Starscream staring at him.

“Why did Gemstone leave, Thundercracker?” Starscream whispered.

“Apparently she wanted to be a hooker again.” Thundercracker’s voice was stony and harsh, and he wouldn’t look at Starscream.

“Why should it matter to you, TC?” Starscream asked. “Why should you care? She’s just your fake girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“Okay, I’ll admit it,” Thundercracker grumped. “We never did have a real relationship. It _was_ all pretend, just like you guessed. We did ‘face a lot, sort of like friends with benefits—except now I don’t have her as a friend _or_ a benefit.”

“So you can just forget about her,” said Starscream.

“I never thought it would go this far.” Thundercracker’s voice cracked as he realized he was talking to himself more than to Starscream. “On the night we met, I thought I’d just ‘face with her and then go, but then we…we just…I don’t know how it happened.”

“ _Isn_ ’ _t it my turn now_ , _hon_?” _Thundercracker asked in his deep voice_ , _and he spread her legs_ ; _she squealed at the sensation of his tongue in her southern regions_ ; _when he felt himself getting pressurized again he lifted her head up and drew her into a kiss_. _She grabbed his spike and shoved it in by her own means_ , _to which Thundercracker let out a yelp_ … _a very pleasured yelp_.

It was true. On that night, Thundercracker had never thought he would see Gemstone again.

_Gemstone waited with a rather bewildered look on her face as Thundercracker’s mind filled with thoughts of how it would be if he was doing this with Moonbeam instead of this hooker. The familiar feeling of the pressurization he could only get for her was coming back, and he asked, “Gemstone…would you mind it if I called you ‘Moonbeam’?”_

Moonbeam. Thundercracker had called Gemstone “Moonbeam”. How demeaning that must have felt—as if her job wasn’t demeaning enough. Thundercracker remembered the story about how Gemstone lost her virginity. That mech, and all the others, were just sleazy jerks who didn’t care.

Of course, Thundercracker had done the exact same thing that night. Maybe that didn’t make him any different.

No wonder she had gotten so angry. So hurt.

“Thundercracker?” said Starscream. “Do you miss her?”

“Why would I miss her?” Thundercracker snapped. “It’s like you said. She was only my fake girlfriend. Nothing else.”

“Maybe that’s what you’re trying to tell yourself,” Starscream replied. “But your spark’s telling you something completely different, isn’t it?”

“I’m not in love with her,” Thundercracker insisted. “You’re crazy if you think that.”

“Who do you think you’re kidding, TC?” Starscream sat up in bed, and Thundercracker could see that he was smirking. “I think _you_ ’ _re_ crazy. You’re crazy for Gemstone.”

 _That_ ’ _s the dumbest thing I_ ’ _ve ever heard_ , _even for Starscream_ , Thundercracker thought to himself. _I would rather be with Moonbeam any day_. _Gemstone is just a friend_ … _or she was_. _Until she left me_.

Tortured with thoughts, none of which he could comprehend, Thundercracker got no rest that night.


	24. Night of the Party

**THAT WEEKEND…**

On the night of the bachelor party, Skywarp wasn’t particularly excited. Really, he didn’t care. All he could think about was his engagement to Moonbeam. The bachelor party was scheduled to go from dusk to dawn, and right now it was breakfast time. Skywarp was trying to get Megatron to babysit the sparklings, so he could improve his parenting skills (or lack thereof).

“JUST DRINK YOUR NOURISHMENT!” Megatron was yelling, holding Baby Megs in one hand, a full bottle in the other. Baby Stars was, as usual, hovering in the air and making squealing noises, while Megs was crying. Megatron looked exhausted, but he was trying to take care of the sparklings too, and besides, this way he could let Starscream sleep in. Skywarp was trying to turn Megatron into a good parent, but Megatron first needed to learn that he should maybe _not_ treat his own children like they were the bane of his existence.

“Now, now, don’t yell at the sparklings,” Skywarp soothed.

“I hate sparklings,” Megatron growled, slamming his bucket head onto the table in frustration. “I hate the smell, I hate their crying, I hate when they make messes, I hate feeding them…in fact, I hate EVERYTHING about them! Why did Starscream have to have _two_?”

“It’s not that hard,” Skywarp insisted. “When they’re hungry, feed them. When they’re tired, sing to them and put them down for their naps. When they’re bored or lonely, play with them. When they’re sick, take them to the medic so they’ll feel better. Really, Megatron, all you need is a little determination and a lot of love, and the rest will come naturally.”

“Easier said than done,” Megatron snapped as Stars started to whine, probably because he needed his diaper changed again. Megatron had never changed a diaper in his life; luckily, Starscream and Skywarp generally adopted diaper duty. It was surprising how many diapers the sparklings could fill in just one day—between the two of them, it could amount to fourteen dirty diapers in only twenty-four hours.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Skywarp said cheerily, taking the Seekerling out of the air and into the Seekers’ room to change him. Meanwhile, Megatron made a sort of grunting noise and started feeding Megs.

As all this sparkling trouble was going on, Thundercracker had been at the table too, his eyes cast downwards, not talking to anyone. Since she was on call today, Moonbeam couldn’t be with everyone else, but Thundercracker had managed to drag himself out of bed. The thing was, he hadn’t spoken, opened his eyes, or even lifted his head off the table. Skywarp and Megatron had been too busy taking care of the little twins to notice him. What they didn’t know was that Thundercracker had never been so miserable in his life.

Gemstone’s absence was a huge loss, and he couldn’t understand why. She was okay, but she’d been nothing more than a friend-with-benefits, a prostitute who was only _pretending_ to be his girlfriend. Thundercracker wanted a _real_ girlfriend, someone nice, pretty, funny, someone he could love forever and protect from harm.

Ever since Gemstone had left, Thundercracker felt like there was an empty space inside his spark. Why? It just made no sense. All he knew was that he was upset, and he almost felt like crying, which hadn’t happened since he was a sparkling.

But no. Thundercracker did not cry…ever. Starscream seemed to have shed quite a few tears while he was pregnant, and Skywarp wasn’t the type to hold back tears in general, but Thundercracker _never_ cried; he saw it as a sign of weakness. In fact, he was used to bottling up every emotion, every emotion except anger, that is. In his Trine, he was the toughest fighter, believing that there was no such need for such things in times of war. Never would he be a scared helpless sparkling; he would always fight every threat.

Soon enough, Skywarp came back into the room, carrying Stars, who had on a fresh, clean diaper and had started to drift into stasis. Skywarp was taken aback by the sight of his brother, slumped on the table face-first, looking devastated.

“I’m sorry, Thundercracker,” Skywarp whispered as he rocked the sparkling in his arms.

Thundercracker emitted a low grunting sort of noise, but he still didn’t move his head or body. Skywarp noticed how his wings were hanging low, dangling at his sides. This generally signified either fear or great sadness in a Seeker, and since Thundercracker didn’t seem to have anything to fear, it could only be assumed that he was upset.

 _Well_ , _his girlfriend DID just dump him a few days ago_ , Skywarp thought. _I would be sad too_.

“You loved her, TC, I know that,” Skywarp said. “But you have to move on.”

“Just leave me alone, ‘Warp,” Thundercracker mumbled, wanting to be left alone with his self-loathing.

“Listen, breaking up with somebody is always hard.” Skywarp put one hand on Thundercracker’s heavily drooping wing for comfort; it twitched involuntarily, but didn’t go up again. “But there are plenty of other femmes in the universe.”

“Yeah? Like who?”

“Like…um…” Skywarp’s face was reddening as he thought. “Maybe you could meet one at the bachelor party tonight.”

“I don’t want to pick up any more femmes at the Decepticlub,” Thundercracker replied sharply, remembering that he had met Gemstone the exact same way…and look how well _that_ had turned out. “I just want to be left alone.”

“Okay then,” Skywarp mumbled as he turned away, knowing that his efforts to raise his brother’s spirits were only in vain.

**THAT NIGHT…**

Thundercracker didn’t want to go to the bachelor party, but Starscream (best mech) had forced him to. Gemstone, he insisted, was gone now, and didn’t matter. Starscream thought Thundercracker was entitled to a good time, just like all the other partygoers.

They flew to the Cybertronian Gentle-Bots’ Club, all of the Decepticons except Moonbeam—as stated before, no femmes allowed (except for the entertainment). Apparently, it was “tradition”.

When they got to the Decepticlub and had made it past the bouncers, Thundercracker didn’t step foot on the dance floor. All he did was halfheartedly join the other mechs at the bar, just wishing this stupid “party” would end soon, or that he could at least find an excuse to leave.

“Give me the strongest drink you have,” Thundercracker mumbled to the bartender.

“At this club, we have energon so strong that it isn’t even legal in some Cybertronian cities,” said the bartender. “Is everything okay?”

“Thundercracker’s having trouble with the femmes,” Starscream whispered by way of explanation.

“Those femmes,” said the bartender, shaking his head and pouring a drink for Thundercracker. “They can bring us mechs so much misery, don’t they?”

“I told you, Screamer, I’m NOT ‘having trouble with the femmes’,” said Thundercracker, taking a long sip of his drink. “I’m not in love with Gemstone, and I never was. Where is she, anyway? She said she would be here.”

“Gemstone, you say?” said the bartender. “Do you mean the hooker with the white paint job? The mechs were always all over her.”

Thundercracker made a sick face; he was pretty sure he knew what the bartender meant. In a few more gulps, Thundercracker finished his drink, and demanded another one; the bartender sympathetically placed it in front of him.

“Yes,” Starscream answered for Thundercracker. “That’s the Gemstone we mean.”

“That femme’s been gone for months,” the bartender told them. “We all thought she was never coming back, but she finally did, a few days ago. She didn’t look the same as she did when she left…she seemed sort of angry. Depressed, like. Mechs were throwing their money at her body and she accepted, but by Primus, her spark didn’t seem to be into it.”

“Why ever not?” Thundercracker grumbled sarcastically, downing half his second drink. “I thought she’d sleep with any mech—as long as he wasn’t me.”

“Is that what she said?” Starscream asked.

“That’s exactly what she said.” Thundercracker shoved his empty glass across the bar. “Gimme another drink!”

The bartender, looking bewildered, poured him some more high-grade.

“She was a fuckin’ prostitute!” Thundercracker continued, starting to look more than a little buzzed. “And y’know what they did? They—they RAPED her, that’s what they did!”

“Well, technically no,” the bartender stated. “She consented.”

“BULLSHIT!” Thundercracker hollered, slamming his fist on the bar and spilling his drink.

“Calm down, TC,” said Starscream, patting Thundercracker’s wing. “It’s not the end of the world. No use beating a dead microbe.”

“The past is gone,” the bartender agreed. “There are plenty of femmes here at the club who would love to have a drink and chat with you. You’re single again, so have fun with it, why don’t you.”

“Poor TC,” said Starscream, patting Thundercracker’s head, but Thundercracker swatted his hand away.

“Anyway, what drink would you like, Starscream?” the bartender asked.

“Well, I’m nursing, so unfortunately I can’t have anything too strong,” Starscream said sullenly. “It sucks.”

“Why not some healthy high-grade?” the bartender suggested. “It’s more like an energy drink. It won’t get you drunk, but it feels great to have it in your system. It’s usually consumed before long journeys and battles, because it lasts a long time and provides you with the energy you need for your adventures. Not only that, but it will make your sparklings healthy and strong too.”

“Hmm…” Starscream tapped on his chin thoughtfully. “Sounds good to me.”

…

Skywarp was enjoying himself. The party was great fun for him, especially because he knew he would be a married mech in a few months; he was on top of the world. Right now, he didn’t know that Thundercracker’s spark was broken. All he knew was that he was the groom-to-be, and he was having a great party thrown by his best friends.

“What are you so happy about?” the bartender asked, grinning.

“I’m getting married in a few months!” Skywarp cried joyfully. “This is my bachelor party!”

“This is your bachelor party?” the bartender repeated. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Everything’s on the house, buddy.”

“Thanks!” Skywarp beamed.

“I do think, however, that you are intoxicated enough,” the bartender said with a smirk.

Starscream, meanwhile, had consumed three glasses of healthy high-grade, which had given him a huge power boost. Right now, he was shaking his tailpipe on the dance floor, and everyone seemed to gravitate towards him. Starscream was just too damn popular, especially at parties; he was one hell of a dancer and extroverted by nature.

As the night wore on, Thundercracker sat on the sidelines, sipping his drink, watching the other Decepticons party on the dance floor. At one point there might have been a Seeker conga line (led by Starscream), but Thundercracker didn’t really care. Part of his thinking was obscured by high-grade at this point, but since he could handle a lot, he hadn’t gotten actually, truly drunk…yet.

That was when he saw a pearly white figure in the background. The femme did a double take and turned away; Thundercracker put his head down too—until he heard her talking.

“I’ve got an announcement to make,” Gemstone was saying smugly. “I will now be offering free sexual favors to all Seekers, except those in the Command Trine.”

The other Seekers scrambled up to Gemstone like moths drawn to a light. All she did was send a spiteful smirk Thundercracker’s way. Thundercracker looked down at his feet, his wings still drooping, his eyes burning with unfamiliar tears.

…

Hours had passed, and the night still wasn’t wearing down. Gemstone was no longer visible; Thundercracker thought that she was probably ‘facing with another Seeker right now, maybe more than one at a time, or with some mech Thundercracker didn’t even know. Which would be worse? What a horrible choice.

Thundercracker was so absorbed in his thoughts that he jumped a little when he felt someone tap his wing. When he turned around, he saw that it was Gemstone. Unable to think of anything to say to her, Thundercracker just cleared his throat and looked at the ground.

“Thundercracker,” Gemstone whispered. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly, Thundercracker lifted up his head to look at her; she appeared to be unusually serious.

“What is it?” Thundercracker mumbled.

“Listen, I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier,” Gemstone said quietly. “I just…I guess I was kind of mad about Moonbeam and everything and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

“No, Gemstone, I’m sorry,” Thundercracker told her, standing up and putting his strong hands on her shoulders. “I’ve been thinking about what we were doing, and I think it got out of hand. There’s no such thing as having a ‘fake’ girlfriend. As far as I’m concerned, you either have a real girlfriend, or no girlfriend at all.”

“Thank you, TC.” Gemstone smiled. “That’s how I feel, too. I know it probably looked to everybody else like we had a breakup, even though we were never together in the first place. But even if I’m not your fake girlfriend anymore, I can always be your friend.”

“Oh, Gemstone, baby, Gemstone.” Thundercracker wrapped his arms around Gemstone and held her close. “It’s so good to have you back.”

“When I was ‘facing with all those other Seekers,” said Gemstone, “I must admit that I missed you. I _didn_ ’ _t_ miss being a hooker. It was even worse than I remembered. I hated doing it again. I just did it to spite you…to prove I didn’t need you. But I do need you.”

“I need you too,” Thundercracker reassured her, and gave her another squeeze.

They separated, but still held each other’s hands. They were amused to see, over by the bar, that pretty much all the Decepticons (except Starscream) were completely drunk on energon. Thundercracker had of course consumed some high-grade himself, but the bartender had convinced him to stop after he had three glasses. Starscream was sitting in Megatron’s lap, his arms around the old mech’s neck.

Starscream was wearing a gold crown and giggling maniacally about something, and every so often, Megatron (who was extremely intoxicated) would give him a little kiss or, more frequently, a hard slap on the aft. When this happened, Starscream would just giggle even louder. It was pretty embarrassing to Thundercracker, but also hilarious. Gemstone was laughing.

The others weren’t much better. Soundwave was drunk now too, and he was ruling the dance floor like only he could. Unfortunately, he had also let Ravage loose somehow, and before they knew it the bar patrons had to deal with a big black mechanical jaguar trying to attack anything he encountered.

Skywarp was the one leading the conga line now—he had managed to get them all party hats and bead necklaces, which they wore as they danced. Megatron and Starscream were openly making out at the bar. Gemstone’s laughter had been replaced by a wide-eyed stare.

“I thought Starscream wasn’t supposed to have high-grade,” she said.

“The bartender gave him healthy high-grade,” Thundercracker explained. “I guess the power boost gave him a high. Of course, who knows what Megatron has in his tubes. I predict a long, hung-over morning for him soon.”

“But still, I thought they hated each other,” Gemstone continued. “Why are they making out?”

“What sobriety conceals, high-grade reveals,” Thundercracker recited. “All joking aside, though, they kind of have a bizarre relationship. Nobody understands it, not even them. _Especially_ not them. Somehow, though, they make it work.”

“Actually, I think having the twins brought them together somehow,” Gemstone offered. “It’s a common cause.”

“Could be.” Thundercracker shrugged. “Or maybe they were in love all along, but they didn’t realize it until the little twins were conceived.”

“I’d never watched a sparkling being born before,” Gemstone told him. “It looked so painful. I just don’t know how anyone could do that.”

“Starscream said the same thing, and look at him now,” said Thundercracker.

“Everything was fine.” Gemstone smiled at Thundercracker, and he felt his spark lift.

“I really am glad to have you back,” Thundercracker told her, but then he felt his wings droop again. “I guess we’ll have to stop our hot animal ‘facing though, since we aren’t a fake couple anymore.”

“Who said anything about that?” Gemstone whispered flirtatiously. “In fact, do you want to know the _real_ reason why I decided to patch things up?”

“Why?” Thundercracker asked.

“I’ve slept with almost all the Seekers tonight, but…” Gemstone stroked Thundercracker’s right wing and kissed his cheek. “After all of them, I still think you’re the best. In fact, I might offer free sexual favors to the Command Trine after all. Fake girlfriend discount.”

To both his dismay and his delight, Thundercracker felt his suddenly erect spike slam against his interface panel, threateningly close to coming out on its own. Gemstone was still talented.

“Um…Gemstone?” said Thundercracker, his voice a little higher-pitched than usual.

“What?” Gemstone smirked.

“I’m kind of…having a little…um, mech emergency,” Thundercracker mumbled, cheeks reddening. “If you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know what you mean, TC,” Gemstone teased, stroking his wings again and (when she was _sure_ nobody else was looking) tickling him just a little on the interface panel, more than enough to get his spike to pop out.

“Please, hon, I’m dying here,” Thundercracker pleaded, trying to hold his release until they got out of public. It was kind of a burning, uncomfortable feeling. “You want to have some real fun?”

“Of course,” said Gemstone, leading him out of the room.


	25. Autobot Educational Television

After the bachelor party was over, almost everyone came home totally wasted on energon. By the time they got to base, Moonbeam was standing there with an old, crabby-looking femme Seeker. The unfamiliar femme was holding screaming Megs. Stars was also crying, but, as usual, he was hovering in the air instead of being held in someone’s arms.

“Nice going, guys,” said Moonbeam, scowling at them all. “Since you left me here alone to take care of Stars and Megs, I had to call my _mother_ to help me out.”

Moonbeam’s mother stomped up to Starscream and cuffed him on the cheek. “You would do well to teach those sparklings of yours some manners, young man! Why, in my day, we didn’t cry, no, because we had VALUES in those days, and…”

“Mom, please stop,” Moonbeam groaned. “Nobody wants to hear about ‘values’, okay? They’re _sparklings_. Of course they cry.”

“I know how sparklings act!” Moonbeam’s mother snapped. “Oh, dear Primus forbid I should try to enlighten my own DAUGHTER with some of my ELDERLY WISDOM, but NO, why don’t I just go bury myself in a hole somewhere and rust? Would that make you happy, missy? Would it? Would it?”

“No, Mom, of course it wouldn’t,” said Moonbeam, meaning _definitely yes_.

“Don’t you interrupt me, missy!” Moonbeam’s mother looked even angrier now. “You think I’m just some old, nagging hag, don’t you? Well, it was from _bearing all these children_ , that’s how, while your lazy, good-for-nothing sire could hardly be bothered to get his aft up off of his chair every once in awhile! It was a hard day at the office, he says. I’ll tell you who had a hard day! I did, trying to keep you and your siblings in line!”

“Hey!” Starscream said, giggling and holding onto Megatron’s arm for balance. Apparently the healthy high-grade had gotten him a little slap-happy. “MY twins’ father doesn’t do anything either!”

“Except you only have two!” Moonbeam’s mother shot back. “I had EIGHT, including her! Five femmes and three mechs! And you’re _on_ something, aren’t you, young man? Did you have any high-grade?”

“Mom, he’s NOT your son!” Moonbeam cut in.

“You hush up,” Moonbeam’s mother told her daughter, and then she turned on Skywarp. “Young man, when you get my daughter pregnant, they had better be well-behaved! And I expect you to produce at least six grandchildren!”

Moonbeam sighed and rolled her eyes. “Look, Mom, Skywarp and I aren’t even…”

“I thought I told you to hush up, missy,” said Moonbeam’s mother. “And you better not have spread your legs for this mech yet, either. You know what I told you and your sisters. Save your valve for when you’re married.”

“Mom!” Moonbeam cried. Even she was blushing now.

“Is that all the femmes of today do? Get themselves violated?” Moonbeam’s mother waved her hands in the air dramatically and pointed at poor Skywarp. “YOU didn’t violate my daughter, did you, young man?”

Thundercracker and Starscream were very amused.

“Skywarp does more than violate her.” Starscream laughed. “And he does it all the time.”

“Yeah, he’s always telling us about how he gets triple overload from her,” Thundercracker added. “Oh, and he likes to be real rough, y’know, they use whips and chains and all that.”

“Is this _true_?!” Moonbeam’s mother cried in horror, clapping her hands over her mouth. Thundercracker and Starscream were still laughing, and Skywarp looked terrified.

“Look who’s talking!” Moonbeam shot back. “Starscream had sadomasochistic ‘facing with Megatron and you babysat the misbehaved by-products tonight. And even though Thundercracker broke up with his slutty ex-girlfriend, you two are still friends-with-benefits, aren’t you?”

“What is this world _coming_ to?” Moonbeam’s mother wailed. “Moonbeam, I did not raise you to live in environments like this!”

“Starscream and his brothers are correct, ma’am,” said Gemstone, finally speaking up. “Your daughter is a bitch-whore.”

“Oh, like your record’s _so_ clean, Gemstone,” Moonbeam said sarcastically. “You’re a prostitute for spark’s sake!”

“She’s a _what_?!” Moonbeam’s mother screeched.

“That’s right, Mom,” Moonbeam said smugly. “This little slut used to live in Kaon and charge mechs to ‘face with her for a living. Now that she’s come to Earth, she lives at the Cybertronian Gentle-Bots’ Club and does the same thing with the drunks who hang out there.”

“I have no respect for prostitutes,” Moonbeam’s mother said shortly.

“Gemstone’s not a prostitute anymore,” said Thundercracker. “She’s just a friend. And she lives here with us, not at a club.”

“Once a tramp, always a tramp,” Moonbeam’s mother replied, and then turned her attention to Starscream again. “Shame on you for spreading your legs for your own boss! What were you trying to do, get a promotion?”

“Oh, he wants a promotion, all right!” Megatron slurred. “But he’s gotta kill me for that! We do the ‘facing just for fun.”

“I must say, Moonbeam, I do not approve of the society you are marrying into,” Moonbeam’s mother said crisply. “I thought that when I met the Decepticon leader, he would be less intoxicated.”

“I’m not intoxicated!” said Starscream.

“She meant me, not you,” said Megatron.

“Prove it,” said Starscream.

“Moonbeam, I am your mother,” said Moonbeam’s mother. “And I say that only when you marry this mech may you know him intimately. Do you want to have ‘accidents’, like Starscream did? Do you?”

“You know what, ma’am?” said Starscream a little angrily. “Megatron and I might not have planned for our sparklings, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love them. You shouldn’t treat them like they’re worthless scrap. They’re sentient beings too, and quite frankly, I don’t even _know_ you, so I don’t give a flying fuck about how _you_ think _my sparklings_ should be raised!”

“For once I agree with him,” said Megatron. “You have no control over us.”

“It was nice of you to babysit, Mom,” Moonbeam added. “But you can go home now. Okay?”

“All right then!” Moonbeam’s mother snapped. “I can tell when I’m not wanted! Don’t bother to thank me! I’m leaving!”

Of course, Moonbeam was a purebred Seeker, which meant that her mother was a Seeker too, albeit a quite old and wore-out one. Before they knew it, she had turned herself into a jet and soared into the sky…away from them.

“Sorry about that,” Moonbeam told Skywarp apologetically. “My mother can be a real prude. In fact, I was ‘facing with mechs when I was still in Seeker School, and she _never_ knew.”

“Why didn’t she want you to ‘face?” Thundercracker asked. “ _Our_ parents were fine with it.”

“Seekers are _supposed_ to want to do it,” Starscream added. “It’s just part of our programming.”

“Well, I come from a very traditional family,” Moonbeam explained. “Our natural reproductive instincts were something we were taught to suppress, especially the femmes, me and my four sisters. Whenever one of us brought a mech home—and believe me, we tried it a _lot_ —my father would always intimidate him until he left.”

“So if it’s bad to want sparklings, why do you have seven siblings?” Skywarp asked.

“It wasn’t sparklings that were discouraged.” Moonbeam rolled her eyes. “My mother just thinks ‘facing is for reproduction only, for some weird reason. You heard her. She thinks I should have saved my valve for when I’m married, but when I _am_ married, I should transform into a sparkling-pumping machine, basically. She wants you to give her at least six grandchildren.”

“Can you have six?” Skywarp asked. “I mean, I know your mom had eight, but could you?”

“It depends on two things—how fertile you are, and your frame design,” Moonbeam replied. “It’s hard to tell with Seekers, because we’re the most fertile Cybertronian species, but we’re not the best birthers, either, due to being lightweights.”

“That aside, I _would_ like to have a big family,” Skywarp told her tentatively.

“Remember what we talked about, Skywarp?” said Moonbeam. “For now, it’s just the two of us.”

Skywarp shrugged, and they all went back inside.

**THAT MORNING…**

Thundercracker awoke to a strange sensation, a very _good_ strange sensation. For some reason, he was already fully erect and he had a wonderful feeling down there; he looked down and…

Gemstone had decided to awaken him by giving him head? Awesome!

“Keep doing what you’re doing, hon,” he moaned, automatically spreading his legs further apart to accommodate Gemstone’s mouth as she fought back a giggle fit. To his delight, she finished the blow job and let him release; after the explosion (so to speak) he collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of happiness.

“Did it feel good?” Gemstone whispered seductively, running her fingers up and down his wings.

“YES,” said Thundercracker, 100% sincerely. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Oh, I just thought I’d join you this morning,” said Gemstone. “Moonbeam’s with the sparklings already, in the main monitor room. They’re watching this TV show her mother showed them on one of the Autobot channels, ‘Grimlock the Purple Dinobot’, I think it was called.”

“Why are they watching one of the Autobot channels?” Thundercracker asked. “And why are they watching a show about the Dinobots?”

“Well, none of the Decepticon channels have shows that are meant for sparklings,” Gemstone explained. “Apparently, Autobot TV is educational.”

“So what do they learn about?” Thundercracker asked. Now he was curious.

“Hmm…I don’t remember.” Gemstone looked pensive as she mulled over it. “C’mon, let’s go see.”

Thundercracker put his mech-parts back into their housing and closed the chamber, then grabbed her hand. Together, they headed towards the main monitor room.

Sure enough, Stars and Megs were parked in front of the TV…well, Megs was. Of course, they were too young to even know how to sit up, but Megs was lying on his tummy, and Stars was, of course, hovering in the air. They both had pacifiers in their mouths, and apparently they had already had their breakfasts. On the small screen, Grimlock (painted purple) and all the _other_ Dinobots were learning about sharing or friendship or something else stupid that Autobot sparklings learned about.

Everyone else was still in bed (the majority of the Decepticons were hung-over), so the monitor room was empty except for Moonbeam, the twins, and Skywarp. Of course, the purple jet was hung-over too, but he wanted to help with the twins, since Starscream had sort of crashed after feeding his sparklings that morning—the bartender had failed to alert him about what would happen if a stimulant like that left his systems so quickly in such large amounts. Thundercracker looked at the screen.

“Hey, kids, what time is it?” the announcer was saying.

“IT’S GRIMLOCK TIME!” screamed the invisible background audience.

“That’s right, kids, it’s Grimlock time!” said Dinobot Grimlock, entering the room. Thundercracker wondered why he was talking in complete sentences all of a sudden, until he realized that the voice actually belonged to Wheeljack, and Grimlock was just lip-syncing badly.

“Today on ‘Grimlock the Purple Dinobot’,” said the announcer, “we have a SPECIAL SURPRISE GUEST! And he’s none other than OPTIMUS PRIME, heroic leader of the Autobots!”

“Oooh…” said the invisible background audience.

“Today’s special episode is called ‘Decepticon Bumblebee Sees the Light’,” said Grimlock/Wheeljack.

Seconds later, Optimus Prime joined Grimlock onstage, accompanied by what appeared to be Bumblebee, dressed in a poorly-designed Decepticon costume. Basically, he looked the same, except he had on fake red optic lenses and a Decepticon sticker over the place where his Autobot faction logo usually was.

“What’s today’s episode about, Optimus?” Grimlock asked.

“Well, when I handed Megatron’s aft to him in that battle yesterday, I captured a Decepticon named Bumblebee,” Optimus said. “I was going to interrogate him at first and make him reveal Megatron’s EVIL PLANS, but then I thought maybe I could MAKE A DIFFERENCE instead, and maybe even SAVE THE UNIVERSE!”

“What do you mean?” said Grimlock.

“I talked to him about peace, love and friendship,” Optimus explained. “Now he wants to be an Autobot, like me! You see, kids, instead of opening more prisons, we should open up more sparks. Maybe someday, _all_ Decepticons will see the light, and we will have defeated them with kindness.”

“Optimus is right!” said Bumblebee, taking off the red optic lenses. “I’m an Autobot!”

“Come on, everyone!” Optimus said gleefully. “Let’s all sing the Sharing and Love song!”

“What the slag _is_ this scrap?!” Thundercracker hollered. Appalled at what his nephews were being exposed to, he picked up the remote and turned it to one of the Decepticon channels. Unfortunately, something _else_ was on that sparklings shouldn’t be watching. Apparently, _this_ channel regularly displayed porn flicks.

“Oh, _oh_ ,” some femme was moaning pleasurably. “Stick your big fat spike into my soaking wet valve!”

“Open wide, baby,” said her mech’s voice. “Lemme feel your OVERLOAD!”

“Just enjoy,” a second femme cooed, and that was when the threesome really got going.

“What are the sparklings _watching_?!” Skywarp cried. “Thundercracker, turn that off!”

Thundercracker wanted to see what happened next (nobody knew this, but he sometimes taped porn flicks and watched them whenever he got alone time). But there were innocent eyes watching, so he forced himself to turn off the inappropriate show.

“Thank you,” said Skywarp.

“That’s better than having them watch ‘Grimlock the Purple Dinobot’,” Thundercracker told him. “No wonder the Autobots are so fucked up, if this is what their sparklings watch.”

“You’ve got to admit, he has a point,” said Moonbeam.

At this point, Megatron and Starscream entered the room. Starscream was a little groggy, just waking up from the crash he’d gotten after his power boost had worn off. Megatron was seriously hung-over.

“What’s going on?” Starscream mumbled.

“I just saved your twins’ minds from being contaminated,” said Thundercracker. “Not that I expect any thanks, of course.”

“What?” said Megatron.

“The sparklings were watching this educational show called ‘Grimlock the Purple Dinobot’,” Skywarp told him. “Thundercracker knew it was bad for them, so he turned on one of the Decepticon channels, but it was showing porn. So we turned the TV off.”

“I wish they could watch ‘Autobot Air Force’,” Starscream said. “That was my favorite show as a Seekerling.”

“Oh yeah, I remember ‘Autobot Air Force’.” Thundercracker grinned. “I think that was every Seekerling’s favorite show, growing up. Did you watch it, Moonbeam?”

“Sometimes with my brothers,” Moonbeam replied. “But I think that show was aimed more towards mechs. My sisters and I were more into a show called ‘My Life as a Femme Seeker’.”

“Yuck, that annoying show was way too girly for me,” said Thundercracker. “I could never understand what it was supposed to be about.”

“For your _information_ , Thundercracker, it was a _great_ show about a defiant young femme trying to survive in Seeker School, dealing with drama involving dreamy mechs, peer pressure, substance abuse, accidental pregnancies, etc.,” Moonbeam said haughtily.

“So it’s kind of like the PG-13 version of ‘Seeker Daily Drama’, then?” Thundercracker quipped.

“Well, that show doesn’t sound all that interesting,” said Megatron. “But I’ve never seen ‘Autobot Air Force’. What’s it about?”

“It was my favorite show as a Seekerling, and my brothers’, too,” said Starscream. “It was about this group of young Seekers who lived to irritate the Autobots, and were never caught. One of them lived on the Autobot team as a spy, pretending he had ‘Seen the Light’, and he always tipped his team off about surprise attacks and gave them formulas for new technology and stuff. It was funny as the Pit, and there was a lot of action, y’know, a lot of dogfights and all that. It was educational in a way, since it taught young Seekers about, well, being Seekers, but it was there first and foremost for entertainment. It wasn’t obnoxious like _some_ shows are.”

“Much better than that weenie scrap you see on ‘Grimlock the Purple Dinobot’,” Thundercracker agreed scornfully.

“Unfortunately, it was taken off the air long ago, about the time we all graduated from Seeker School,” said Starscream. “But I might have a little tape or something of it somewhere, maybe. Then the twins can watch it too.”

Skywarp nodded in agreement. “If the sparklings are going to be watching educational television, it should at least feature something they need to know.”


	26. Bedtime

Skywarp was more excited than ever about the wedding. Of course, he was sure that he and Moonbeam would be spending the rest of their lives together, and that was what mattered. Moonbeam had decided that her four sisters should be her bridesmaids, with her older sister as the maid of honor, and her three younger sisters as the rest of the bridesmaids. Skywarp chose Starscream as "best mech", and as for the rest of the Groom Posse, he had recruited Thundercracker and Moonbeam's three brothers.

Late one night, Skywarp and Moonbeam lay in the guest room (where they resided). Skywarp had Moonbeam wrapped in his arms.

"I couldn't think of a better femme to be engaged to, kissy-wissy," Skywarp whispered.

"Thank you, sugar daddy," Moonbeam whispered back, lifting up her finger, upon which the diamond ring still shone in the moonlight. It was almost as beautiful as the femme who wore it.

"You're welcome," said Skywarp. "I chose the best ring I could find...for the best femme in the universe."

**MEANWHILE...**

Starscream awoke from stasis to a very disturbing sort of noise. At first he thought it was just the twins again, calling out for his undivided attention, but the carrier bond wasn't signaling anything from them, and what Starscream heard was more like a deep, moaning noise, accompanied by girlish giggles.

Yes. When he thought Starscream was asleep, Thundercracker had brought Gemstone into the Seekers' room. Unbelievable.

Of course, he didn't really want to "watch" or anything, but Starscream found it kind of hard to look away. Every time Gemstone ran her hand down Thundercracker's wings, he shivered a little and moaned with pleasure. When she stuck her hand underneath the sheets, he moaned even louder, the kind of moan that was only associated with sexual ecstasy or extreme gastrointestinal distress.

"Enter me, TC," Gemstone was cooing. Thundercracker grunted and Starscream heard Gemstone shriek as her lover penetrated. This was _so_ annoying. Starscream didn't care _what_ Thundercracker said! Gemstone was NOT just a "friend"! They were in love, and Thundercracker was just too dumb to notice it. All he realized was that he liked the 'facing.

Starscream groaned with frustration and placed his pillow over his head, trying to block out the sounds of a steamy interface session.

"Harder, hon!" Thundercracker cried. "Faster!"

"Oh, you're such a big boy," Gemstone whispered. "Ahh...stretch that valve...oh!"

Starscream heard Thundercracker growl with affection and mumble something equally inappropriate about _her_ body, but he was trying not to listen. However, he knew that telling them to stop wouldn't be a good idea. It would only cause a whole lot of awkwardness for everyone. No...Starscream would just have to wait it out...

"Baby, you're _so_ tight!" Thundercracker sounded pretty pleasured too. "I'm gonna come!"

"Please do," Gemstone encouraged him, and let out a happy sigh.

It was obvious that Gemstone was thrusting harder and harder, getting herself and Thundercracker all riled up, when he heard Thundercracker's howl; his overload had come. Gemstone squealed as hers came soon after.

"You're a good friend," Thundercracker told her, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"And I come with lots of benefits," she cooed, and stuck her hand under the sheets again. "What's this? Oh, TC, you aren't starting to pressurize again, are you?"

"Well, you really are a pro," he told her passionately as his wings twitched a little. "I've never had so many erections for just one femme in my entire life."

 _Is that all he can THINK about_? Starscream was exasperated by horny Thundercracker as he heard them start another session, with Gemstone on the top again, grabbing Thundercracker's shoulders and setting a fast pace.

Starscream groaned again and sat up in bed. Maybe he could take one 'facing session, but he didn't want to hear their overloads again tonight, if not for the rest of his life. So when they weren't looking, he slipped quietly out of bed and walked down the hall to Megatron's suite. The door was locked, but Starscream pounded on the door until a very tired-looking Megatron opened the door.

"What do you want, Starscream?" he mumbled.

"Thundercracker and Gemstone are playing around in my room and I can't take it anymore," Starscream replied. "So I was just wondering if maybe I could come in here and, y'know, cuddle a little or something."

"Megatron does not cuddle," said Megatron angrily.

"Why do you always talk in third person?" asked Starscream cheekily, making his usually shrill voice deep, imitating his boss. "Megatron knows no fear. Megatron does not cuddle. Megatron takes orders from no one. Megatron..."

"All right, I get it," Megatron snapped. "But what makes you think I want to cuddle?"

"Well, maybe..." Starscream sidled up against Megatron and nuzzled his cheek. "Maybe we can turn it into something more."

"Okay, fine, follow me," Megatron grunted, taking Starscream's hand and slowly leading him inside.

Megatron's suite was much bigger than the Seekers' room. The bed was large and luxurious, with lots of fluffy pillows, and the room didn't smell funny, either. Starscream had discovered that sparklings didn't smell so good, mostly because they seemed to enjoy lubricating wherever and whenever they pleased, as well as spit up all over themselves and their parents (usually after a good clean waxing).

Once they got into bed, Megatron took Starscream into his arms with a surprising amount of affection. Starscream snuggled into him.

"I don't really hate you," the Seeker whined, feeling almost surreal.

"Don't worry, Starscream, I don't hate you, either," said Megatron, pulling his lover closer. Starscream used to fear Megatron, but this felt just fine. For some reason, he felt a little shy when Megatron stuck one hand in between his legs. What had Thundercracker said to Gemstone about her being "tight"?

"I-I don't think I'm as tight as I was," Starscream admitted, feeling insecure. "After I had the twins, I mean."

"Well, I imagine pushing out something that big would stretch anyone out," said Megatron. "Watching that, I can't figure out how you did it."

"It was a piece of oilcake," said Starscream, grinning.

"Oh, sure," said Megatron doubtfully, but then again, he remembered Moonbeam had told him it was a "good and natural" thing. If it was good and natural, did that mean it had come easy for Starscream? Well, he had certainly _looked_ like it took a lot of work, considering how he'd been grunting and straining all the way throughout, but, well, whatever. Megatron still suspected that he could still fill up that place in between Starscream's legs that he loved so much...being so well-endowed and all.

"Before we started 'facing, I thought that gun was overcompensating for something." Starscream smirked. "Luckily, though, that was one of the few times when I enjoyed being proven wrong."

"I'll please you even more tonight," Megatron hissed.

Starscream felt that familiar twinge of heat and pressure in his valve area that meant he was getting turned on again, and obediently spread his legs. Megatron knelt on the bed and grabbed Starscream's ankles, placing the Seeker's legs on his shoulders. Lightweights were always so fun to play with. They were very flexible and easy to lift or move, so a heavyweight like Megatron could definitely enjoy 'facing with one. That, on top of the fact that Seekers would 'face with almost anyone, made the session possibly the best of all.

"You...you don't have the handcuffs, Master," Starscream pointed out, realizing this for the first time.

"It's okay," Megatron whispered, flipping Starscream's interface hatch open. "Hmm...a tad wet, aren't we?"

Actually, that was a bit of an understatement. Starscream was soaked. One breathy gasp escaped his lips when, instead of penetration, he felt Megatron's tongue roaming around down there, setting his systems of fire. Megatron grabbed Starscream's feet and continued to give him tongue, enjoying the screams he heard.

"Oh, it's...it's wonderful," Starscream moaned, feeling hotter, knowing Megatron was getting quite a taste of him right now. Megatron stopped his licking and, with his most devious smile, released his own spike. It was already fully erect and even huger than usual. Yes, he was Megatron, and everything was huge when it came to Megatron, but... _still_.

Primus, did Starscream want that thing inside of him right now. Just the idea of his burning, leaking valve being spread to the perfect amount by a special slag buddy was too much for him to handle. Megatron gave him no warning.

Starscream let out a little hybrid gasp-whine when he felt Megatron spike him, nice and deep. Yes, _yes_...it was hitting all the right places. Before he could stop himself, Starscream let out a high-pitched moan; Megatron smirked as he filled up Starscream comfortably, spicily, hotly, _amazingly_. It was fast and hard and it burned with delicious pain and fiery passion. That was the good thing about 'facing with Megatron; it was all raw animal sex, with no regard for feelings, timeliness, or gentleness, and if any excess bodily fluids got on the bedsheets, well, they would dry.

The sensation of the spike rubbing up and down against the walls of the valve, in and out, reaching all the important nodes and diodes, filling every nook and cranny, was making Starscream lose control. The sound of his moaning filled the room; his arms and legs tensed up, his spark-rate increased. Lying flat on his back, he dug his fingers into Megatron's shoulders, screaming, "More, more!"

When Megatron and Starscream had done the deed for the first time, way back when, that was the only time Starscream had ever felt like he was being torn apart, or felt much pain at all. What he didn't know was that for a time, it had torn him apart emotionally too, but still, they'd enjoyed their sadomasochistic ways, especially with a clear definition of who played which role. Starscream's initial fascination with Megatron and the way he interfaced gave way to something new, something special between them.

The transfluid that filled Starscream up was hot, tingling. Some of it ran down his legs, onto the sheets, but that was fine too. Starscream gasped again as he felt his own release and Megatron lustfully took his little sex drone into his arms, using one hand to finger him still. Starscream adjusted his hips to the position and held Megatron's hand there, to make sure the good feeling didn't leave, although his valve still stung a little from the earlier penetration.

"Megatron?" asked Starscream, his voice high and needy.

"Yes?" Megatron whispered, his fingers still not leaving Starscream's southern regions.

"Can I stay with you at night again?" Starscream stared up at Megatron with pleading eyes, hoping his boss would agree. Already, he felt his body's response to Megatron's fingering happening again. Was this how Thundercracker and Gemstone felt when they got into bed with each other? Was that why they could never control themselves? Megatron noticed his fingers were wetter and he grinned, knowing he was still majorly turning Starscream on.

"Why, of course you can stay," the Decepticon leader purred. "You can stay in here as much as you like."


	27. Cry

**APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK LATER…**

“Gemstone and Thundercracker have agreed to watch the little twins,” said Skywarp, approaching Starscream. “Moonbeam’s on call today, so how would you like to come flying with me?”

“Sure,” said Starscream. “That would be great.”

So they took to the skies and engaged in their favorite activity—flying. Skywarp was thinking about Moonbeam, and about his wedding. It wouldn’t have to be anything big; all he wanted was to be surrounded by his family and friends, and of course his lovely bride. Although most of the Decepticons thought otherwise by now, Skywarp was convinced, especially now, that Moonbeam could do no wrong.

Starscream was thinking about the wedding as well. For some reason, as he watched Skywarp demonstrating his flying skills, he had a very bad feeling. Sure, he was happy for his brother, but something didn’t feel right, like something was going to happen, something bad.

 _You_ ’ _re just being paranoid_ , Starscream reassured himself. _NOTHING is going to happen!_

Skywarp was still thinking about Moonbeam, his precious, picture-perfect femme. For the rest of their lives they would be happy together, the perfect couple. They had been through some very rocky times, it was true, but that didn’t matter. Their love had changed, shifted, explored past boundaries, but it had never disappeared.

Unfortunately, since he was so preoccupied with thoughts of his bride, Skywarp stopped focusing on flying and wiped out.

“Are you okay?” asked Starscream, turning to robot mode as he landed too.

“Yeah.” Skywarp got up and dusted himself off, then laughed. “I guess I didn’t have my mind completely on flying. I was thinking about Moonbeam again!”

“Of course you were.” Starscream was laughing too. “What else?”

“Anyway, I think my wing got a little scratched.” Skywarp rubbed one black wing feverishly. Starscream couldn’t see any scratch; this was probably just an excuse to go to the med bay and see Moonbeam.

“Sure you do,” said Starscream, smirking. “Better go and ask Moonbeam to fix it. Maybe your wings just need a massage or something, y’know?”

Skywarp blushed a little and rubbed his face with his hands. Starscream was sure he was already getting an erection just thinking of that possibility. Starscream gave him the thumbs-up and they both went back into base. Starscream headed for the living room to watch TV, while Skywarp headed for the med bay.

And that was when it happened. When he finally saw it.

It was almost like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. Skywarp let out a gasp but he couldn’t make words; he could only sink to the ground in silent despair.

There was Moonbeam, lying down on the repair table as she sloppily made out with Sunstorm, stroking his yellow-orange wings and giggling in between the kisses; she hadn’t even noticed Skywarp. Not only that, but Acid Storm was there too, and the three jets were doing a lot more than kissing.

Moonbeam’s feet were on Sunstorm’s shoulders and he was deep inside of her, thrusting hard, while Acid Storm banged her from behind. Sunstorm and Acid Storm both had their hands all over her, stroking her wings, rubbing her thighs, tracing their fingers along the natural hills and valleys of her perfect black-and-gold frame.

Unfortunately, Skywarp had to witness the climax as Moonbeam’s shrieks of delight filled the med bay, along with the other two Seekers’ moans of satisfaction. Although they were soaked in various bodily fluids, they continued to make out furiously, lost in their pleasure…until Moonbeam noticed someone else in the room, still in the doorway, collapsed onto his knees, his face buried in his hands.

It was her husband-to-be.

“ _Skywarp_?!” Moonbeam cried, tumbling off the repair table and onto the floor. “What are _you_ doing here?!”

“I came to visit you while you were on call,” Skywarp said tearfully, hoisting himself up. “But I guess these two beat me to it.”

“Wait, sugar daddy, this—this isn’t what it looks like!” Moonbeam blurted out, waving her hand in the general direction of Sunstorm and Acid Storm. The two Seeker mechs looked at each other once, then they both bolted.

“What is it then?” Skywarp cried, pointing at the now-deserted repair table.

“Well, um, it’s…” Moonbeam sighed and stared down at her feet. “It’s a three-way.”

“Is this the first time this has happened?” Skywarp demanded.

“Do you want me to say it’s the first time it happened?” Moonbeam asked. “Or do you want me to tell you the truth?”

“I want you to tell me the truth,” Skywarp snapped, turning around so she wouldn’t see how hurt he was. “That’s what I _need_.”

“Listen, I didn’t—”

Skywarp spun around suddenly and cut her off, tears shining in the corners of his eyes. “How long were you planning on doing this?!”

Moonbeam just shrugged again, not saying anything.

“Tell me!” Skywarp cried.

“Okay, I’ll admit it.” Moonbeam shook her head. “I’ve…I’ve been having an affair…on and off…with Acid Storm and Sunstorm. I didn’t do it with your Trine-mates or anything if that makes you feel any—”

“Moonbeam, if you didn’t want to be with me, if our relationship wasn’t enough, you could have just said so!” Skywarp sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Why did you feel the need to cheat on me like that? Why did I have to catch you in the act?”

“It’s purely sexual!” Moonbeam insisted.

“Oh like that makes it any better!” Skywarp shouted. “How could you do this to me? We were to be married! I _loved_ you, Moonbeam! Don’t you care?”

“Sure I care! It’s just…” Moonbeam let her breath out and her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I guess I didn’t take our relationship as seriously as you did.”

“What do you mean?” Skywarp asked faintly.

“We don't want the same things, Skywarp," Moonbeam explained. "I wasn’t really thinking about the future as much as you were. We did lots of things together, you gave me a lot of presents, that ring was really pretty, it was fun and all, but…I don’t know. I just…I think we just grew apart. Maybe we aren't meant to be."

"I can't believe this," Skywarp mumbled, his hands over his face, and bolted out of the room. 

…

Starscream was on his bed alone, flipping through an out-of-date issue of _Decepticon Weekly_. Gemstone and Thundercracker were babysitting the little twins, and Starscream was enjoying his “me-time”. But the mood was broken when Skywarp burst into the room, his eyes streaming with tears. As soon as he entered, he slammed the door shut and collapsed onto his bed, sobbing too hard to speak.

“Skywarp?” Starscream put the magazine down and walked over to his brother. “What the slag happened? Skywarp!”

Still no words. Just sadness, great sadness.

“Please, ‘Warp, what happened?” Starscream begged. “Was it Moonbeam? Did she do this to you?”

All the purple jet could do was cry even harder. Starscream tried to calm Skywarp down by stroking his drooping wings, which shook as he wept; the Air Commander was confounded. What could possibly have gone on in the med bay to make Skywarp this upset?

Skywarp kept crying, and Starscream kept trying to soothe him (unsuccessfully). Several minutes later, Thundercracker and Gemstone entered the room. Gemstone was holding Megs, and Stars was hovering in the air behind them. They were smiling at first, but their expressions turned to confusion and shock as they witnessed poor Skywarp.

“What happened?” Gemstone asked, sounding worried.

“I don’t know,” Starscream told her. “I was just sitting here, reading, and then Skywarp comes in and starts crying, and he still won’t tell me what happened. “It must have been something horrible, though.”

“You think?” Thundercracker sat down next to Starscream on Skywarp’s bed. Gemstone sat down too, clinging to little Megs. Everyone was concerned now. Starscream continued to stroke Skywarp’s wings in a comforting way, and Gemstone rubbed his helmet. Thundercracker pulled his brother up into a sitting position.

“Tell us what happened,” Gemstone whispered, giving Skywarp a gentle hug. “Maybe we can help.”

“No,” said Skywarp tearfully, shaking his head, his hands still over his face. “Nothing could ever fix this.”

“Nothing could ever fix _what_?” Starscream asked, giving the purple jet a nudge.

Skywarp took a deep breath and cried at the top of his lungs: “I caught Moonbeam cheating on me!”

“What?!” Gemstone shrieked. Everyone looked shocked, but Gemstone looked angry too. “I _knew_ she was bad news!”

“Oh, Skywarp,” said Starscream. Skywarp leaned into him, limp as a wet blanket held out to dry. Everyone was trying to comfort him, but nothing worked.

“You were right, Starscream!” Skywarp wailed. “Moonbeam was never in love with me! I don’t know why I didn’t see it! How could I not see it?”

“I was hoping I was wrong for once, ‘Warp,” Starscream said helplessly. “Usually I don’t like being proven wrong, but if only Moonbeam wasn’t who I thought she was.”

“Listen, guys, I _loved_ her!” Skywarp still wouldn’t take his hands off of his face. “I would have done _anything_ for her!”

 With that, he was off and sobbing again. The sparklings, perhaps sensing Skywarp’s emotional agony, started to cry too. Stars descended out of the air and landed on the bed (still in robot mode) as he and his brother kept crying. Thundercracker held Megs, Starscream held Stars, and Gemstone held Skywarp like a mother holds a newborn sparkling, trying to soothe him.

 The entire relationship had been a lie.


	28. The Truth Will Be Revealed

**THAT NEXT MORNING…**

Skywarp wanted to stay in his room all day; he couldn’t even manage to drag himself out of bed. Thundercracker stayed for a little, keeping him company and supporting him, but Starscream, who of course stayed in Megatron’s quarters now, had to take himself and the little twins down to the kitchen for breakfast.

But when he got there, both squalling twins in his arms, he was surprised at what he found. There was Moonbeam, alone in the kitchen, with her medical bag on the table, as well as a small suitcase. She was packing items in, expressionless.

“Moonbeam?” said Starscream. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t like it here on Earth,” Moonbeam said quietly, turning her attention back to her bag. “I’m heading back to Vosnia this afternoon. Because of what happened with Skywarp, I’m guessing you’re not exactly going to throw me a good-bye party anyway, are you?”

“Um, no.” Starscream felt confused. Was she _really_ leaving because she didn’t like Earth, or was she leaving because she had broken up with Skywarp? Stars screeched so loudly one of the light fixtures broke, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Come on, sparklings.” Starscream, tired, sat down at the table and started feeding Stars, trying to keep his eyes open. It was awkward with Moonbeam standing there packing to leave base. How would they tell Skywarp? How would he take it? Would he be relieved that she was gone, or would it just make things even worse?

Starscream didn’t have much time to think about it, because that was when Thundercracker joined them, Gemstone trudging behind him. They had both been with Skywarp in the Seekers’ room last night, not getting a wink of sleep because Skywarp couldn’t go a half an hour without crying.

“Morning, guys,” Gemstone yawned. “What’s for breakfast?”

“I think there’s some high-grade in the fridge or something,” Starscream mumbled.

Gemstone nodded, but when she noticed Moonbeam, she grinned. “Hmm, it looks like you’re fleeing, isn’t it?”

“I’m not _fleeing_.” Moonbeam glared at her. “It’s like I told Starscream. I just don’t like Earth.”

“Oh sure.” Gemstone waved her hand sarcastically. “I bet you just don’t want to stay because Skywarp finally caught you.”

“That has nothing to do with it.” Moonbeam scowled. “Why don’t you shut up, Gemstone?”

“Don’t tell me to shut up!” Gemstone warned, showing her fist. Moonbeam reflexively backed away. “At least I’m not a lying, cheating bitch!”

“At least I’m not a slutty pile of trash!” Moonbeam fired back.

“Who are you calling trashy, Snoot-Face?!” Gemstone hollered, bending one of Moonbeam’s wings.

“How dare you!” Moonbeam shrieked with pain and kicked Gemstone repeatedly in the leg. Next thing you know the Seeker medic had taken a blunt punch to the faceplates that sent her skidding across the floor and into the wall.

“I don’t like the way you treated Skywarp,” Gemstone said sharply. “I’m glad you’re leaving. I don’t think you deserve to live here with us.”

“Well who cares what you think?!” Moonbeam cried, trying to sound threatening, but her eyes were still tearing up with pain from Gemstone’s punch.

“I’m not going to let you do mean things to a nice mech like Skywarp,” Gemstone insisted solemnly, shaking her head.

“Why, you filthy little…” Moonbeam tried to get up and respond, but the pain in her wings pinned her down.

“Are you gonna quiver like a sparkling?” Gemstone taunted, hands on her hips. “Or are you gonna fight?”

Moonbeam didn’t say anything, which meant the answer was probably “quiver like a sparkling”.

Thundercracker was hoping they would fight more, because he liked when femmes fought, and it was just getting good. Starscream was too busy focusing on his sparklings, so nobody really noticed Megatron walk in, look over at the dueling femmes, roll his eyes, and get some leftovers from the fridge.

“How old _is_ this?” Megatron lifted up his energon cube. “This is disgusting. Whose turn was it to clean out the refrigerator?”

“It was Skywarp’s,” Starscream told him. “But he’s a little…busy, remember?”

“What?” said Megatron. “Busy like how?”

“Because of the _breakup_!” Starscream hissed.

“You mean they—?” Megatron looked mildly surprised, but then shrugged. “Well, I guess it was only a matter of time.”

“Whatever,” said Starscream, annoyed by Megatron’s typical apathy, but compared to everything else Megatron had seen in his lifetime—his long mining career, the gladiatorial pits, the rise and fall of cities, a war—silly drama like this didn’t seem interesting at all. It all seemed pretty stupid to him, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

“Actually, Gemstone,” said Megatron calmly, going to the fridge to get a cube of energon that wasn’t expired, “I have a preposition for you.”

“You…you what?” Gemstone turned her attention away from Moonbeam for a minute.

“Over the months you’ve been staying with us, I’ve observed strength and intelligence in you, and, most notably, the way you fight,” Megatron told her. “You would’ve been a good gladiator.”

“Do you really mean that?” Gemstone asked, looking shocked.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” Megatron told her. “But I digress. Gemstone, if you choose to accept my offer, I will allow you to join our ranks.”

“Officially?” Gemstone gasped.

“If you prove yourself worthy during your enlistment, then yes,” said Megatron, sticking out his hand. “So, have we got a deal?”

“Um, w-well, this is just so, I-I don’t…” Gemstone was stammering. Megatron’s power to instill fear was definitely making her nervous, even though he wasn’t being intentionally threatening.

“What are you waiting for?” Thundercracker whispered. “Shake his hand!”

“Do you accept?” Megatron repeated.

“Oh, of course, Mr. Megatron,” Gemstone said breathlessly, shaking Megatron’s hand, although she still looked a little frightened, not to mention shocked—she was finally going to become a true Decepticon, just as she’d always wanted. She winced in pain when Megatron released her hand; he hadn’t been trying to hurt her, but his big manly handshake had nearly crushed her wrist. “I pledge my allegiance undying.”

“Now, I need to know, what is your alt. mode?” asked Megatron. “You haven’t transformed from robot mode once, at least not that I’ve seen.”

“She’s ashamed of it,” Moonbeam called from down on the floor. “It’s probably something totally stupid.”

“I’m a car, _bitch_ ,” Gemstone told her. “And if you have any complaints about it, we can always go settle things outside.”

Moonbeam’s eyes flashed red again, but this time it was with fear, not anger. Instead of accepting the challenge, she just shook her head and shrunk back into the wall.

“You’re a car?” asked Starscream. “How did that happen?”

“My father was a Decepticon, but my mother was an Autobot, and Autobots usually turn into land-based vehicles,” Gemstone explained, shrugging. “So I guess I inherited it from her.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Megatron reminded her. “Transformer by birth, Decepticon by choice.”

“You’re right, Mr. Megatron.” Gemstone grinned. “It’s my choice, isn’t it?”

“Gemstone, I’ve given you your position,” Megatron replied. “Now you’ve got a chance to show me you deserve it.”

“Great news!” Gemstone chirped. “You won’t be disappointed, sir!”

There was silence for a moment or two, but then Thundercracker swallowed, looking uncharacteristically nervous, almost shy.

“Speaking of news,” the blue Seeker said slowly and carefully, “seeing as Moonbeam and Skywarp aren’t dating anymore, there’s something I’ve wanted to say to someone I’ve loved for a very long time now.”

 _No_ , _Thundercracker_ , _NO!_ Starscream was screaming in his head. _For spark_ ’ _s sake_ , _don_ ’ _t get any ideas!_

Thundercracker bent down to the ground and gently grasped the hand of the femme he loved.

“Gemstone?” he whispered. “Will you accept my courtship?”

Starscream shouldn’t have been surprised, but he felt his jaw drop in surprise anyway as he heard Gemstone’s squeal of happiness.

“Oh, Thundercracker!” she cried. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear that!”

“When I say courtship, I mean for real this time,” Thundercracker said seriously as he stood up. “I was in love with you all along, hon. I just didn’t realize it.”

“I knew it.” Starscream smirked.

“Actually, TC, I have something to confess,” said Gemstone. “I knew I was falling in love with you long ago, but I never said anything because I thought you were in love with Moonbeam. I always thought we were just dating to make her jealous.”

“It might have started out that way,” Thundercracker replied. “But now I’m saving all my love for you, Gemstone. Finding you was like diving into a storm cloud and finding a bright golden ray of sunshine. You’ve illuminated my otherwise gloomy life in ways I never could’ve imagined.”

“Mine too, TC,” Gemstone whispered. “More than you know.”

“What about me?” Moounbeam demanded. “What about all _I_ ’ _ve_ done?”

“Skywarp gave you everything he had and more, and all he asked for in return was a little love,” Thundercracker snapped. “You couldn’t even give him that. Instead, you played with his spark, used him, left him desperate and hurt, and then tore him to pieces with your cheating. I think I deserve better.”

“Yeah,” Gemstone said confidently. “Better, as in me.”

“I love you, hon.” Thundercracker kissed Gemstone on the cheek. “I’m happy you’re my girlfriend.”

“I’m happy too,” Gemstone smiled and wrapped her arms around Thundercracker, squeezing him tight, tears leaking out of her eyes.

“Well, it’s something to be happy about,” said Starscream.

“There are lots of things to be happy about.” Megatron looked at Starscream, grinned wickedly, and scooped him up into his arms, bridal-style. “Aren’t there, my little pleasure drone?”

“Oh yes,” Starscream laughed, placing his arms around Megatron’s neck and twitching his wings a little. “Lots and _lots_ of things.”

“I bet I can guess what they’re going to do,” said Thundercracker, rolling his eyes.

“What? Fight for supreme power again?” Gemstone giggled. “We’d better not disturb them."

“Well, now that Moonbeam is leaving, the guest room has vacancy again,” said Thundercracker suggestively, nudging Gemstone. “Do you want to fight for power, too?”

“Always!” Gemstone giggled again and they left for the bedroom, leaving Moonbeam all alone.


	29. True Friends

**APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK LATER...**

Starscream and Skywarp were sitting on Skywarp's bed, taking care of the little twins. Starscream was feeding Stars, while Skywarp was stroking Megs' helmet, humming softly, trying to lull him into sleep. Megs smiled slightly and cuddled up to Skywarp.

"I swear, Skywarp, these twins love you more than they love their own parents," Starscream laughed, adjusting the sparkling in his arms and stroking his wings, which perked up slightly at the touch. It was really just another attempt by Starscream to make Skywarp laugh, but of course it didn't work. Skywarp gave a sad smile, but his spark wasn't in it. Moonbeam had been gone for almost a week now, but her ex-boyfriend was still torn into pieces. No one dared speak her name, but it was in the air, hovering over them like some nasty cloud of smog. All that time, energy and money Skywarp had spent on her...wasted. Completely wasted.

Not many of the Decepticons at base dared talk to Skywarp. It wasn't as if he was going to snap at them; he wasn't really the type to do that. It was just that he was so fragile right now, and nobody wanted to rub salt into his wounds.

 _Oh no_ , _not again_ , Starscream was thinking as Skywarp held the sparkling close. Yet again, he was trying to hold back tears, but they were leaking out of his eyes anyway. It seemed like every little thing reminded him of Moonbeam, like a scab that just wouldn't heal. Starscream reached out his free arm and gave Skywarp a one-armed hug, trying fruitlessly to comfort his brother.

"I'm all right." Skywarp sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"No, you're not," said Starscream. "But if you don't want to talk about it, then, well, fine. We don't have to."

"What's there to talk about?" Skywarp asked, voice quivering. "She didn't stick around."

"Skywarp, please," said Starscream desperately. "I know this seems like the end of the world right now, but really...it isn't. It's her loss; you're better off without her. When she sees how happy you are after you two broke up, she's going to feel like a loser."

"And you expect me to believe some scrap you got off of _Seeker Daily Drama_?" Skywarp cried, and burst into tears.

"Maybe," Starscream mumbled, recalling post-breakup scenes from _Seeker Daily Drama_ , the sappiest program on Seeker TV. Things like this were common in soap operas, only comparably worse (and extremely exaggerated). "But I mean it. You don't need that bitch in your life. She really blew it."

"No, I'm the one who blew it!" Skywarp leaned into Starscream, unable to stop crying. "I want her back, Starscream. I want her back so bad."

"Listen, 'Warp, you're my brother and I do care about you," Starscream said quietly, realizing that he wasn't actually quoting something he'd seen on TV this time. "You don't have to go through this alone. You have me, of course, and Thundercracker, wherever the slag he is..."

As if on cue, Thundercracker and Gemstone entered the room. Gemstone was holding several cubes of energon, which she placed next to Skywarp.

"TC and I thought these might cheer you up a little," she explained. "You know, comfort fuel."

"Good for after a breakup," Thundercracker agreed.

Skywarp opened up one of the energon cubes and started drinking from it. Thundercracker opened one too.

"Don't you have something to tell them, hon?" Thundercracker took a long swig from his energon cube and let out a loud burp.

"Oh, that's right." Gemstone sounded happy. "That's what we came in here to say."

"What?" said Starscream.

"Well, can you tell me how many sparklings are in the room right now, Starscream?" Thundercracker asked.

"Um, two," Starscream told him. "Duh."

"You might want to check again." Gemstone closed her eyes, a smile brightened her face, and she held out a paper receipt.

"Give me that." Starscream snatched the paper from Gemstone with one hand, carefully balancing Stars in the other.

"What's it say?" Skywarp asked, setting Megs in Starscream's lap and peering at the paper.

"Test recipient designation: Gemstone," Starscream read, narrowing his eyes at first, but they grew wider as he read on. "Test results: Positive. Offspring species: Hybrid. Offspring subspecies: Seeker, Decepticon, Autobot. Sire designation: Thundercracker. Expected arrival date: Late March or Early April, 1986."

Skywarp put his hand over his mouth and gasped as the realization sunk in.

"I'm pregnant, bitches!" Gemstone squealed.

Everyone started screaming at the same time; Gemstone and Skywarp both burst into tears. Stars unlatched and both twins started crying, too.

"I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle." Skywarp was still sobbing, but this time with happiness. "Again!"

"Actually, that's the thing," said Thundercracker, shrugging. "You see, we kind of had this sparkling by accident, and we aren't ready to be parents. We were thinking we might put it up for adoption."

"We want to put it in the hands of someone much more responsible," Gemstone added. "You know, someone who's great with sparklings and wants one more than anything in the world. Does anybody know somebody like that?"

Gemstone smiled again, leaving no doubt as to who she was referring to.

"Pick me! I'll do it!" Skywarp cried, glomping Thundercracker (but being careful of the mother-to-be).

"Do you want to be a father, Skywarp?" Thundercracker asked seriously.

"Oh, TC, I would love nothing more." Skywarp looked ecstatic at first, but then a little nervous. "But...are you guys sure you want to give away your sparkling? I don't want to take it away from you."

"We're not giving it away, not exactly," Gemstone explained. "We'll still be there for it and we'll help take care of it. We just thought it would be better if we were Aunt Gemstone and Uncle Thundercracker instead of Mommy and Daddy."

"And as for _you_ , Skywarp, you're the one who should be Daddy," Thundercracker added.

"I'll be more than Daddy," Skywarp whispered. "I'll be the best Daddy in history."

"Of course you will," said Gemstone. "Just look at the twins. They adore you."

"I finally have a sparkling, just as I'd always dreamed of." Skywarp squeezed his eyes tight and smiled brightly as tears streamed down his cheeks. "And I've got the best friends a Seeker could ever hope to find."

Thundercracker hugged Gemstone, Skywarp hugged Thundercracker, then Gemstone hugged them both. Starscream gathered both of the twins in his arms and went to join the group hug.

 


End file.
